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Chapter XII
Chapter XII
Life at Monterey
The next day being Sunday, which is the liberty-day among merchantmen,
when is it usual to let a part of the crew go ashore, the sailors had depended
upon a day on land, and were already disputing who should ask to go, when,
upon being called in the morning, we were turned-to upon the rigging, and
found that the topmast, which had been sprung, was to come down, and a new one
to go up, and top-gallant and royal-masts, and the rigging to be set up. This
was too bad. If there is anything that irritates sailors and makes them feel
hardly used, it is being deprived of their Sabbath. Not that they would
always, or indeed generally, spend it religiously, but it is their only day of
rest. Then, too, they are often necessarily deprived of it by storms, and
unavoidable duties of all kinds, that to take it from them when lying quietly
and safely in port, without any urgent reason, bears the more hardly. The only
reason in this case was, that the captain had determined to have the
custom-house officers on board on Monday, and wished to have his brig in
order. Jack is a slave aboard ship; but still he has many opportunities of
thwarting and balking his master. When there is danger, or necessity, or when
he is well used, no one can work faster than he; but the instant he feels that
he is kept at work for nothing, no sloth could make less headway. He must not
refuse his duty, or be in any way disobedient, but all the work that an
officer gets out of him, he may be welcome to. Every man who has been three
months at sea knows how to "work Tom Cox`s traverse" - "three turns round the
long-boat, and a pull at the scuttled-butt." This morning everything went in
this way. "Sogering" was the order of the day. Send a man below to get a
block, and he would capsize everything before finding it, then not bring it up
till an officer had called him twice, and take as much time to put things in
order again. Marline-spikes were not to be found; knives wanted a prodigious
deal of sharpening, and, generally, three or four were waiting round the
grindstone at a time. When a man got to the mast-head, he would come slowly
down again to get something which he had forgotten; and after the tackles were
got up, six men would pull less than three who pulled "with a will." When the
mate was out of sight, nothing was done. It was all uphill work; and at eight
o`clock, when we went to breakfast, things were nearly where they were when we
began.
During our short meal, the matter was discussed. One proposed refusing to
work; but that was mutiny, and of course was rejected at once. I remember,
too, that one of the men quoted "Father Taylor," (as they call the seamen`s
preacher at Boston,) who told them that if they were ordered to work on
Sunday, they must not refuse their duty, and the blame would not come upon
them. After breakfast, it leaked out, through the officers, that if we would
get through our work soon, we might have a boat in the afternoon and go
fishing. This bait was well thrown, and took with several who were fond of
fishing; and all began to find that as we had one thing to do, and were not to
be kept at work for the day, the sooner we did it, the better.
Accordingly, things took a new aspect; and before two o`clock this work,
which was in a fair way to last two days, was done; and five of us went a
fishing in the jolly-boat, in the direction of Point Pinos; but leave to go
ashore was refused. Here we saw the Loriotte, which sailed with us from Santa
Barbara, coming slowly in with a light see-breeze, which sets in towards
afternoon, having been becalmed off the point all the first part of the day.
We took several fish of various kinds, among which cod and perch abounded, and
F___, (the ci-devant second mate,) who was of our number, brought up with
his hook a large and beautiful pearl-oyster shell. We afterwards learned
that this place was celebrated for shells, and that a small schooner had made
a good voyage, by carrying a cargo of them to the United States.
We returned by sun-down, and found the Loriotte at anchor, within a
cable`s length of the Pilgrim. The next day we were "turned-to" early, and
began taking off the hatches, overhauling the cargo, and getting everything
ready for inspection. At eight, the officers of the customs, five in number,
came on board, and began overhauling the cargo, manifest, etc.
The Mexican revenue laws are very strict, and require the whole cargo to
be landed, examined, and taken on board again; but our agent, Mr. R___, had
succeeded in compounding with them for the two last vessels, and saving the
trouble of taking the cargo ashore. The officers were dressed in the costume
which we found prevailed through the country. A broad-brimmed hat, usually
of a black or dark-brown color, with a gilt or figured band round the crown,
and lined inside with silk; a short jacket of silk or figured calico, (the
European skirted body-coat is never worn;) the shirt open in the neck; rich
waistcoat, if any; pantaloons wide, straight, and long, usually of velvet,
velveteen, or broadcloth; or else short breeches and white stockings. They
wear the deer-skin shoe, which is of a dark-brown color, and, (being made
by Indians,) usually a good deal ornamented. They have no suspenders, but
always wear a sash round the waist, which is generally red, and varying in
quality with the means of the wearer. Add to this the never-failing cloak,
and you have the dress of the Californian. This last garment, the cloak, is
always a mark of the rank and wealth of the owner. The "gente de razon," or
aristocracy, wear cloaks of black or dark blue broadcloth, with as much velvet
and trimmings as may be; and from this they go down to the blanket of the
Indian; the middle classes wearing something like a large table-cloth, with
a hole in the middle for the head to go through. This is often as coarse as a
blanket, but being beautifully woven with various colors, is quite showy at a
distance. Among the Mexicans there is no working class; (the Indians being
slaves and doing all the hard work;) and every rich man looks like a grandee,
and every poor scamp like a broken-down gentleman. I have often seen a man
with a fine figure, and courteous manners, dressed in broadcloth and velvet,
with a noble horse completely covered with trappings; without a real in his
pocket, and absolutely suffering for something to eat.
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