Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882; Sailors; Seafaring life; Voyages and travels
Friday, April 15th. Arrived, brig Pilgrim, from the windward. It was a
sad sight for her crew to see us getting ready to go off the coast,
while they, who had been longer on the coast than the Alert, were
condemned to another year's hard service. I spent an evening on board,
and found them making the best of the matter, and determined to rough
it out as they might; but my friend S---- was determined to go home in
the ship, if money or interest could bring it to pass. After
considerable negotiating and working, he succeeded in persuading my
English friend, Tom Harris,--my companion in the anchor watch--for
thirty dollars, some clothes, and an intimation from Captain Faucon
that he should want a second mate before the voyage was up, to take his
place in the brig as soon as she was ready to go up to windward.
The first opportunity I could get to speak to Captain Faucon, I asked
him to step up to the oven and look at Hope, whom he knew well, having
had him on board his vessel. He went to see him, but said that he had
so little medicine, and expected to be so long on the coast, that he
could do nothing for him, but that Captain Arthur would take care of
him when he came down in the California, which would be in a week or
more. I had been to see Hope the first night after we got into San
Diego this last time, and had frequently since spent the early part of
a night in the oven. I hardly expected, when I left him to go to
windward, to find him alive upon my return. He was certainly as low as
he could well be when I left him, and what would be the effect of the
medicines that I gave him, I hardly then dared to conjecture. Yet I
knew that he must die without them. I was not a little rejoiced,
therefore, and relieved, upon our return, to see him decidedly better.
The medicines were strong, and took hold and gave a check to the
disorder which was destroying him; and, more than that, they had begun
the work of exterminating it. I shall never forget the gratitude that
he expressed. All the Kanakas attributed his escape solely to my
knowledge, and would not be persuaded that I had not all the secrets of
the physical system open to me and under my control. My medicines,
however, were gone, and no more could be got from the ship, so that his
life was left to hang upon the arrival of the California.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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