Year: 1870

station, in that lawless time Of gold-seeking


Our chief engineer, too, was good sort o


man, and one who knew his work well; tho


second wasn't bad fellow either, though


too fond of his glass but the rest OF the Off


GERS and crew were not pleasant shlpmates


The ship was not a comfortable one to me il


any respect, and soon determined that my
first voyage in her should be my last, though


we had first-rate wages to induce US to sticl


by the ship at San Francisco, and not rur


away to the gold-diggings


1--WE arrived out safely, without any ad


venture; but we had to wait long time


there before we could sail on our homewar(
voyage Notwithstanding all precautions, 8


great many of our crew ran away and il


was impossible to replace them; indeed, the


harbor was full of ships lying useless there
for want of crews to take them away. But


we had also another loss, and a great one, il


our chief engineer. He had been alllng on


the voyage out, and he died, poor fellow


whilst we were lying in the harbor. Oul
charge of the engines, being, as l have said
rather too fond of drink, and the''captain, we
heard, was trying all he could to get some
one in our chiefs place. Macpherson, the
second, was Of course very Indignant at this
but so it was.


II should think we must have been quite
two months at San Francisco before we
were ready to sail again-for you must un-
derstand that we were not a regular packet
on the station, but had been specially charter
ed on the voyage out-and we thought that
we We're going after all without any new
chief engineer. We in the engine-room were
pleased at this, for Macpherson was q good
sort Of fellow enough, except for that fault
which l have mentioned, and a 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 person whom he introduced to the
engine-room hands as their new chief.


"He was not the only new arrival on
board. There were a few--very few-pass-
engers; and a lady, who | heard, to my as.
tonishment, was the captains wife, whom he
had married since we had been at San Fran
cisco. Now as I have already told you, |
had seen his wife and little daughter but a
short time before, so you may think how
much | was surprised at seeing this other
woman brought on board as his wife now l
was very much surprised at our captain,
whom | had taken for different sort of man
but it was all no business Of mine, SO held
my tongue about it. This new woman that
:,
though of bold, masculine style of beauty,
and with such an eye! Thought | shouldn't
exactly like her tor a wife myself; though
she was really handsome, and it was no
wonder that any man should be taken up
with her.


"Right OF wrong, | form my opinions of
people pretty quickly; and | didn't like our
new chief. He was quiet and mild in his
manners certainl ly-wonderfully so for that
time, in that part of the world-but there
was a wild, dissipated, 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 i thought we had a rum
one to deal with now; and he replied that he
should like to know his history, for he guess
ed it was strange one. One thing was evi-
dent to me from the time he came into the
engne-room-he was not a practical work
ing engineer That. he knew something
about engines was plain, amt he gave his
orders with decision and without any appar-
ent doubt Of himself; but there was a
theoretical rather than q practical twang
about them, as if his knowledge of marine
engines had been gained rather by study
than by experience. His hands were too
white and delicate for 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 engines-and from the manner in
which he handled his tools it was plain that
he was no workman. | set him down in my
own mind for a civil engineer who had come
out to the diggings, had had bad run of
luck and was glad to work his way home as
best he could.


''At length we were ready for sea, having
taken on board a small cargo, and also some
gold on its way to the States. We had
beautiful weather down the coast, and for
some time nothing unusual occurred Mac
pherson and kept watch with watch alter
nately, our new chief of course taking none :;
indeed he came very seldom into the engine
room at all and when he did he interfered
with nobody He would just glance at the
gauges, open a tire-door and look in, and
feel the heat of the condensers; but would
make no remark, unless there was a little es-
cape OF steam, or any thing of that sort which
child might notice. He seldom found fault
most every night, he used to send down grog
to the stokers and trimmers on watch, so
they began to consider him sort iof sea
angel, and to wish that they could always
have him for q chief. Our captain, too, APP
peared to think more of his wife than of the
ship, and also seemed to me to be drinking
pretty much; and Macpherson soon found
that he might take his little drop when he
liked, having nobody to find fault with him,
except myself who was subordinate So,
altogether, discipline became very lax and ex-
cept the mates, who were blusterers of the
Yankee type, we were all quite 4 happy
family at sea. | could not help fancying,
however, that it was all too good to last and
so it turned out.


1--WE had got well down the coast, and |
knew we were not far off the coast, when
one night-a fine night it was, but very dark
it was my watch below from midnight to
four in the morning. When say my watch
below you know, sir, do not mean my
watch below in the engine-room, but nv
turn Off duty. Macpherson and 1 occupied
as a sleeping cabin one of the deck-houses
abaft the paddle wheel, in which We're two
hunks, one over the other, one his the other
mine. At eight bells-twelve o'clock you
know called him, and he turned out as
usual, and went to take charge of the engine
room; whilst | turned into my bunk and
tried to 60 to sleep. Now to sleep close be-
hind a paddle-box, with the wheel but a
foot or two from your head, is, for those I'M
accustomed to it, and sometimes even for
those who are used to it, rather q difficult
operation, especially when the ship is rolling
There is q crack and buzz, as your side