A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA--JUMPING OVERBOARD---THE GRAND SUPPER
AND WHAT CAME OF IT--THE CAPTAIN'S LITTLE DAUGHTER.
As the most agreeable method of conveying to the reader a correct
account of Little Wolf's adventures, and personal feelings during her
journeying, we will quote largely from letters addressed from time to
time to her friend, Mrs. Tinknor.
"From the first we take the following:
"While I write, the Captain's little daughter sits beside me. We have
met several times on the hurricane deck--Flora and I--and are on quite
intimate terms, considering the shortness of our acquaintance. The
first twenty four hours she was seasick, 'wery, wery sick,' she
informed me, and her pale face bore traces of the ordeal through which
she had passed; and, indeed, the countenances of most of the
passengers are suggestive of Tompsonian doctors. To such, our three
days at sea must have been uncommonly disagreeable, the weather having
been rough the entire period. Yesterday, we were favored with a storm.
The commencement was most sublime, but all having been unwillingly
ordered below I was borne resisting into the cabin and the splendid
exhibition of nature shut from my view, of course I could not keep on
my feet, but I managed to climb upon a stand, and holding on with all
my might, I could see the waves through the port hole run mountains
high, and what silly thing do you think I did? I actually cried with
vexation, shut up in that miserable place.
"It was as if Black Hawk had been bearing me exultant on a wild gallop
in the face of winds that shook the very foundations of the earth,
and, the loftiest enthusiasm having been enkindled, I was suddenly
plunged into a sickening, stifling, dismal cavern, and shut out from
light and liberty.
"I made frantic assaults upon the porthole, and the remonstrances of
the ship carpenter, who chanced to spy me, would have availed him
nothing had he not forcibly lifted me down, and seated me upon the
floor of my state-room.
"The miserable creature imagined me frightened out of my senses. 'No
immediate danger Miss,' said he, 'compose yourself; the ship will
right up directly--throwing all the light trash overboard--chicken
coops just gone over.'
"'Man,' moaned a woman on whose face was blended an expression of
benevolence and nausea, 'did you open those coops, and let out those
fowls, that they may not drift about and starve?'
"'The sea, madam,' said the builder of ships, grandly, 'the sea has
swallowed them coops and all.'
"Miss Flora has just asked me if my letter is not most finished,
'for,' said the cunning little elf 'you might put in that papa called
you a stubborn little wretch yesterday, when you wouldn't go down to
the cabin.'
"I wonder if he dared to say it, I suppose I looked incredulous, for
the little mischief continues to reiterate the assertion, but she
consolingly adds, 'He was wery, wery angry then, and he knew you
wouldn't hear him. You don't care, do you?'
"I have almost told a fib, and said, 'no indeed.'
Two days later.
"I have had my revenge on the captain by jumping overboard.
"Yesterday Flora and myself were lounging upon the stationary seat,
attached to the railing of the hurricane deck. Both of us had been
silent for some time. I had been gazing dreamily down into the deep,
blue waters thinking of, I hardly know what, but, I remember that a
strange impulse occasionally seized me to plunge beneath those
snow-capped waves and rest my poor head upon the ocean's bed, for it
is not as easy to hold it up now as it once was, when mammy lived, and
took me in her arms and bade the 'Honey hold up her blessed little
head, and never let that droop whatever might come.' Precious old
creature, she too bore a life long sorrow, and bravely bore it. Daddy
never suspected, that his bustling, little grey wife had a tender
secret burried beneath the tumult of activity, which continually
bubbled up within her generous breast.
"But I am digressing from the subject of my sea bath, of which Miss
Flora was the immediate occasion. She had incautiously leaned too far
over the railing, and, losing her balance, fell. I was startled from
my reverie by a slight scream, and in an instant more, she was beneath
the waves. I knew that I could swim, and had I not, I would have
plunged after her all the same.
"I discovered, however, that the waves in a quiet cove of the
Mississippi, were but ripples compared with the surging waters of the
ocean, and my childhood paddle in the former but a poor preparation
for battle. I sank deep and rose breathless, and almost helpless, but
fortunately, Flora was dashed within my reach, and I clutched her
dress, and we were both saved.
"The captain had witnessed the accident from the deck and was the
first to come to our rescue. Spars were thrown out, and several hardy
sailors leaped in and helped to bear us up until the life boat was
lowered, and we were all once more transported on board of our staunch
ship.
"I have been flattered and feted ever since. A grand supper was given
in my honor last evening, and, as I was in such high favor, I made
bold to accept my invitation on condition that the table should be
innocent of wine. The Captain cordially complied with the condition,
although Flora had previously volunteered the information, that 'papa
was wery fond of wine, but mamma did not like him to drink it.'
"The dear child has much to say about her mama, who, 'died, a wery,
wery long time ago.' One little year has she been motherless, and what
sweet graphic pictures does she draw of the lost one. 'Mama had wery
soft curls, papa called 'em golden; mama had wery blue eyes, papa
called 'em wiolet, and she had wery pink cheeks, and papa called 'em
sea shells, and he called her wery little mouth, a rose bud and her
wery soft hands, welvet, and what do you think he named her wery,
wery, cunning little feets?--mices.--He read all about 'em in a book
one evening, how they stoled in and out like little mices,--now wasn't
that wery, wery nice?'
"She is more devoted to me than ever, since her narrow escape from the
sea, and she is sure that I will not be sent into the cabin when the
next storm comes on. Indeed I exacted a promise from the Captain,
while at the feast to that effect. He said I might be lashed to the
rigging and blown to pieces if I wished, and I do wish--O how I long
for another storm,"
Three days later.
"The sky is clear, the sea smooth, and the passengers are mostly upon
deck, enjoying the fine weather.
"Mr. and Miss Marsden have appeared for the first time, and we have
had a general rejoicing. The Captain is an old friend of theirs and we
were invited into his room and treated to wine on the occasion. All
drank socially except myself and Flora, who, when she saw that I had
taken none, set her glass down untasted.
'The influence of good example,' said the Captain smiling approvingly
on Flora.
"Do you really think the example good?" I asked eagerly.
"'Most certainly, my dear Miss DeWolf, my wife would have acted
precisely the same. She did not approve social drinking, but one in my
position acquires the habit almost from necessity. My associations are
mostly with a class that expect it of me. I do not care for it
myself, but I do not like to appear unsocial.'
"'Nor do I,' chimed in Miss Marsden, sipping her glass.
"'We tempt and are tempted on every hand,' said Mr. Marsden
thoughtfully. 'Society demands the social glass and we yield to its
demands, and why? Because we have not the moral courage to do
otherwise.'
"We have! I exclaimed, we have! you have, your sister has, the Captain
has. You have never tried. You have never fully realized whither it
tended--I have. Shall I tell you?
"At any ordinary time I would not have drawn the heart rending picture
of the consequences of social drinking which I was then inspired to
do. It was as if a frightful panorama of ruined fortunes, and ruined
families was passing before me and I described all I saw and when the
view became too painful, too revolting for words, I bowed my head and
wept.
"'For heavens sake, say no more,' cried out the Captain.
"Flora flung her arms around my neck, and mingled her tears with mine.
'What shall we do?' she asked plaintively.
"'We might draw up a total abstinence pledge and all put our names to
it,' said Sir. Marsden quite cheerfully.
"After some pleasent discussion, his suggestion obtained favor, and
was carried out without delay, and in half an hour's time we were all
pledged to total abstinence from intoxicating drinks. The matter was
duly explained to Flora, and she added her mark with an air of
consequence quite amusing.
"Nor was that all; the enthusiastic little missionary stated that she
knew of several wery nice sailors who would like to put their names on
the paper, for she had seen them drink something out of bottles. She
was accordingly permitted to present this pledge to her particular
friends, who, it transpired, included the whole crew.
"I was much affected by a little scene which I witnessed in
connection with her labors. A weather-beaten old sailor, whose only
fault was his uncontrollable appetite for rum, read the pledge
carefully, and, shaking his head quite hopelessly, handed it back. 'I
can't agree to that, little pet,' said he, 'I can't abstain, I'd give
the world if I could, but I can't. I lay in bed the morning we set
sail and thought it all over. I thought of my little boy and gal
sleeping in their trundle bed. I thought of the pleadings of my
patient wife, and I resolved to let liquor alone, but I can't do it--I
was the worse for it yesterday. No, I can't abstain,' and his voice
quivered.
"'May be, if you'd try again, wery, wery hard,' persisted Flora, who
did not comprehend how uncontrollable the appetite becomes.
"'No, my little pet--no--none but God Almighty can save me now--I'm in
the breakers.'
"His look of despair moved me to step forward and interpose. Would not
Flora have perished in the deep water, had there been no effort made
to save her? I questioned.
"'You're a brave gal,' said he. 'I saw you go after her; you would
have saved her if you could, and you would save me but you can't.'
"That's true, I replied, but God can. Jesus Christ will bring you
safely out of the breakers, if you will cling to him. You are in great
peril but it is not too late. Never give up the ship.
"Thus I talked until hope began to reanimate him, and he said 'when I
get back to New York I'll try again to give up my dram and be a
Christian.'
"Now--now, there's no time like now, I persisted, and finally he
yielded, and said, 'Now it shall be. I'll put my name to the paper,
and may God Almighty help me.'
"His name, John Hopkins, stands in full upon the pledge; the large
crooked letters bearing traces of the struggle by which he was shaken.
"I am so glad that I ever read the Bible to dear old Mrs. Peters, for
it was there that I learned the lesson, which I so lately taught the
despairing seamen, and nothing can now wrest the sweet knowledge of a
Saviour's love from me. My heart has found refuge in it.
"Do you remember the day that Tom dressed in your blue apron, with a
bunch of keys at his belt and pretended to personate me at the head of
an orphan asylum, how we all laughed? Well, I secretly wished myself
capable of doing good in that way, and you may tell Tom that if I
should ever attempt anything of the kind, I will give him a lucrative
situation as general overseer of the establishment."
Two days later.
"Last evening we arrived at Aspinwall having made the trip from New
York in ten days. This morning we bade adieu to our kind friends of
the steamship, 'Northern Star' and crossed the Isthmus of Panama, a
distance of about twenty miles, by railroad. A fine large steamer lay
upon the waters of the Pacific awaiting our arrival.
"Having embarked, I found a little vacant nook, under the awning,
where I am now writing, while the scenes of to-day are still fresh in
my mind.
"I was enchanted as we passed swiftly over the narrow neck of land
dividing the two oceans. The dense, vine-clad forests, alive with
birds of every brilliant hue, and bordered with gorgeous flowers; the
low thatched huts of the natives, and the natives themselves in
holiday dress of thin white, all conspired to awaken the most pleasing
emotions.
"The villages at both ends of the route were swarming with natives,
the women with baskets of cake and fruit and beautiful birds for sale,
the men eager to carry our luggage for 'two bits.'
"A small proportion of the women were bright and pretty; one really
beautiful, with liquid eyes and smooth jet braids, upon which were
fantastically perched a pair of green, trained birds, was very
popular with the passengers, and soon emptied her basket.
"I purchased her pet paroquets and sent them to console Flora, whom I
left sobbing quite piteously in the Captain's arms. We promised her
papa to make our arrangements to return on his steamer and his promise
to lash me to the rigging in the event of a storm still holds good."