Year: 1867

the haroor. Our second was not exact
ly the person to take charge of the
engines, being, as / have said, rather
too fond Of drink, and the captain, we
heard, was trying all he could do to get
some one in our chiefs place. Macpher-
son, the second, was of course very in
dignant at this--but so it was. a al


n should think we must have been
quito two months at San Francisco be-
fore we were ready to sail again,-for
Won must understand that we were not
a regular packet on the station, but had
been specially chartered for the voyage
out,-and we thought that we were go
ing. after all. without new chief en-
gineer. We, in the engine-room, were
pleased at this, for Macpherson was o
good sort of fellow enough, except for
that fault which have mentioned, and
q first-rate workman; but, on the very
last day before sailing, the captain, OF
whom we had seen but little for some
time past, came on board with a person
whom he introduced to the engine-room
hands as their new chief. r


HE was not the only new arrival on
board. There were a few--yery1 Few
passengers; and q lady, who heard, to
my astonishment, was the captains
wife, whom he had married since we
had been at San Francisco. Now, as !
have already told you, i had seen his
wife and little daughter but a, short
time before, so you may think how
much + was surprised to see this other
woman brought on board as his vito
now. l was very much surprised at on
captain, whom had taken for differ
ent sort of a man; but it was all no bnsi-
ness of mine, so / held my tongue about
it. This new woman that he had now
was very handsome, certainly, though
of bold, masculine style of beauty,
and such an eye! l thought | shouldn't
exactly like her for a wife myself ;
though she was really handsome, and
it was no wonder that any man should
be taken up with her. - -


Fright or wrong, l form my opinions
of people pretty quickly; and didn :
like our new chief. He was quiet and
mild in his manners ycertainly,--won.
derfully so for that time, in that part OF
the world,-but there was wild, dissi-
pated, wicked look, if you understand
me, in his eye, which seemed to me- to
tell that he could be very different if he
chose. / could not help remarking to
Macpherson, that thought we had a
rum one to deal with now; and he re-
piled that he would like to know his
history, for he Guessed il was strange
one.


"One thing was evident to me from
the first time he came into the engine
rcom,-he was not q practical working
engineer. That he knew something
about engines was plain; and he gave
his orders with decision, and without
any apparent doubt of himself; but
there was Theoretical rather than q
practical twang about them, rs if his
knowledge of marine engines had been
gained rather by study than by
experience. His hands were too
white and delicate for q man who had
used the hammer and chisel and file
much; and, coming into the engine
room suddenly on the evening before
we sailed, / found him doing some job
at the vice which was fixed there
something for himself, fancy, and not
for the engine,-and, from the manner
in which he handled his tools, it was
plain that he was no workman. l set
him down in my own mind az Il civil
engineer, who had come ont to the dig
gings, had got bad run of luck, and
was glad to work his way home as best
he could.


To be continued.