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Chapter XI
Chapter XI
Passage up the Coast - Monterey
We got clear of the islands before sunrise the next morning, and by
twelve, o`clock were out of the canal, and off Point Conception, the place
where we first made the land upon our arrival. This is the largest point on
the coast, and is uninhabited headland, stretching out into the Pacific, and
has the reputation of being very windy. Any vessel does well which gets by it
without a gale, especially in the winter season. We were going along with
studding-sails set on both sides, when, as we came round the point, we had
to haul our winds, and take in the lee studding-sails. As the brig came more
upon the wind, she felt it more, and we doused the sky-sails, but kept the
weather studding-sails on her, bracing the yards forward so that the
swinging-boom nearly touched the spritsail yard. She now lay over to it, the
wind was freshening, and the captain was evidently "dragging on to her." His
brother and Mr. R___, looking a little squally, said something to him, but he
only answered that he knew the vessel and what she would carry. He was
evidently showing off his vessel, and letting them know how he could carry
sail. He stood up to windward, holding on by the backstays, and looking up at
the sticks, to see how much they would bear; when a puff came which settled
the matter. Then it was "haul down," and "clew up," royals, flying-jib, and
studding-sails, all at once. There was what the sailors call a "mess"
everything let go, nothing hauled in, and everything flying. The poor Spanish
woman came to the companion-way, looking as pale as a ghost, and nearly
frightened to death. The mate and some men forward were trying to haul in the
lower studding-sail, which had blown over the spritsail yard-arm and round
the guys; while the topmast-studding-sail boom, after buckling up and
springing out again like a piece of whalebone, broke off at the boon-iron. I
sprang aloft to take in the main top-gallant studding-sail, but before I
got into the top, the tack parted, and away went the sail, swinging forward of
the top-gallant-sail, and tearing and slatting itself to pieces. The
halyards were at this moment let go by the run; and such a piece of work I
never had before, in taking in a sail. After great exertions I got it, or the
remains of it, into the top, and was making it fast, when the captain, looking
up, called out to me, "Lay aloft there, D___, and furl that main royal."
Leaving the studding-sail, I went up to the cross trees; and here it looked
rather squally. The foot of the top-gallant-mast was working between the
cross and trussel trees, and the royal-mast lay over at a fearful angle with
the mast below, while everything was working, and cracking, strained to the
utmost.
There`s nothing for Jack to do but to obey orders, and I went up upon the
yard; and there was a worse "mess," if possible, than I had left below. The
braces had been let go, and the yard was swinging about like a turnpike-gate,
and the whole sail having blown over to leeward, the lee leach was over the
yard-arm, and the sky-sail was all adrift and flying over my head, I looked
down, but it was in vain to attempt to make myself heard, for every one was
busy below, and the wind roared, and sails were flapping in every direction.
Fortunately, it was noon and broad daylight, and the man at the wheel, who had
his eyes aloft, soon saw my difficulty, and after numberless signs and
gestures, got some one to haul the necessary ropes taught. During this
interval I took a look below. Everything was in confusion on deck; the little
vessel was tearing through the water as if she were mad, the seas flying over
her, and the masts leaning over at an angle of forty-five degrees from the
vertical. At the other royal-mast-head was S___, working away at the sail,
which was blowing from him as fast as he could gather it in. The
top-gallant-sail below me was soon clewed up, which relieved the mast, and in
a short time I got my sail furled, and went below; but I lost overboard a new
tarpaulin hat, which troubled me more than anything else. We worked for about
half an hour with might and main; and in an hour from the time the squall
struck us, from having all our flying kites abroad, we came down to
double-reefed top-sails and the storm-sails.
The wind had hauled ahead during the squall, and we were standing
directly in for the point. So, as soon as we had got all snug, we wore round
and stood off again, and had the pleasant prospect of beating up to Monterey,
a distance of an hundred miles, against a violent head wind. Before night it
began to rain; and we had five days of rainy, stormy weather, under close sail
all the time, and were blown several hundred miles off the coast. In the midst
of this, we discovered that our fore topmast was sprung, (which no doubt
happened in the squall,) and were obliged to send down the fore
top-gallant-mast and carry as little sail as possible forward. Our four
passengers were dreadfully sick, so that we saw little or nothing of them
during the five days. On the sixth day it cleared off, and the sun came out
bright, but the wind and sea were still very high. It was quite like being at
sea again: no land for hundreds of miles, and the captain taking the sun every
day at noon. Our passengers now made their appearance, and I had for the first
time the opportunity of seeing what a miserable and forlorn creature a
sea-sick passenger is. Since I had got over my own sickness, the third day
from Boston, I had seen nothing but hale, hearty men, with their sea legs on,
and able to go anywhere, (for we had no passengers;) and I will own there was
a pleasant feeling of superiority in being able to walk the deck, and eat, and
go about, and comparing one`s self with two poor, miserable, pale creatures,
staggering and shuffling about decks, or holding on and looking up with giddy
heads, to see us climbing to the mast-heads, or sitting quietly at work on
the ends of the lofty yards. A well man at sea has little sympathy with one
who is seasick; he is too apt to be conscious of a comparison favorable to his
own manhood. After a few days we made the land at Point Pinos, (pines,) which
is the headland at the entrance of the bay of Monterey. As we drew in, and ran
down the shore, we could distinguish well the face of the country, and found
it better wooded than that to the southward of Point Conception. In fact, as I
afterwards discovered, Point Conception may be made the dividing line between
two different faces of the country. As you go to the northward of the point,
the country becomes more wooded, has a richer appearance, and is better
supplied with water. This is the case with Monterey, and still more so with
San Francisco; while to the southward of the point, as at Santa Barbara, San
Pedro, and particularly San Diego, there is very little wood, and the country
has a naked, level appearance, though it is still very fertile.
The bay of Monterey is very wide at the entrance, being about twenty-four
miles between the two points, Ano Nuevo at the north, and Pinos at the south,
but narrows gradually as you approach the town, which is situated in a bend,
or large cove, at the southeastern extremity, and about eighteen miles from
the points, which makes the whole depth of the bay. The shores are extremely
well wooded, (the pine abounding upon them,) and as it was now the rainy
season, everything was as green as nature could make it, - the grass, the
leaves, and all; the birds were singing in the woods, and great numbers of
wild-fowl were flying over our heads. Here we could lie safe from the
south-easters. We came to anchor within two cable lengths of the shore, and
the town lay directly before us, making a very pretty appearance; its houses
being plastered, which gives a much better effect than those of Santa Barbara,
which are of a mud-color. The red tiles, too, on the roofs, contrasted well
with the white plastered sides and with the extreme greenness of the lawn upon
which the houses - about an hundred in number - were dotted about, here and
there, irregularly. There are in this place, and in every other town which I
saw in California, no streets, or fences, (except here and there a small patch
was fenced in for a garden,) so that the houses are placed at random upon the
green, which, as they are of one story and of the cottage form, gives them a
pretty effect when seen from a little distance.
It was a fine Saturday afternoon when we came to anchor, the sun about an
hour high, and everything looking pleasantly. The Mexican flag was flying from
the little square Presidio, and the drums and trumpets of the soldiers, who
were out on parade, sounded over the water, and gave great life to the scene.
Every one was delighted with the appearance of things. We felt as though we
had got into a Christian (which in the sailor`s vocabulary means civilized)
country. The first impression which California had made upon us was very
disagreeable: - the open roadstead of Santa Barbara; anchoring three miles
from the shore; running out to sea before every south-easter; landing in a
high surf; with a little dark-looking town, a mile from the beach; and not a
sound to be heard, or anything to be seen, but Sandwich Islanders, hides, and
tallow-bags. Add to this the gale off Point Conception, and no one can be at a
loss to account for our agreeable disappointment in Monterey. Beside all this,
we soon learned, which was of no small importance to us, that there was little
or no surf here, and this afternoon the beach was as smooth as a duck-pond.
We landed the agent and passengers, and found several persons waiting for
them on the beach, among whom were some, who, though dressed in the costume of
the country, spoke English; and who, we afterwards learned, were English and
Americans who had married and settled in the country.
I also connected with our arrival here another circumstance which more
nearly concerns myself; viz., my first act of what the sailors will allow to
be seamanship - sending down a royal-yard. I had seen it done once or twice
at sea, and an old sailor, whose favor I had taken some pains to gain, had
taught me carefully everything which was necessary to be done, and in its
proper order, and advised me to take the first opportunity when we were in
port, and try it. I told the second mate, with whom I had been pretty thick
when he was before the mast, that I would do it, and got him to ask the mate
to send me up the first time they were struck. Accordingly I was called upon,
and went up, repeating the operations over in my mind, taking care to get
everything in its order, for the slightest mistake spoils the whole.
Fortunately, I got through without any word from the officer, and heard the
"well done" of the mate, when the yard reached the deck, with as much
satisfaction as I ever felt at Cambridge on seeing a "bene" at the foot of a
Latin exercise.
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