Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882; Sailors; Seafaring life; Voyages and travels
Something less than a year after my return in the Alert, and when, my
eyes having recovered, I was again in college life, I found one morning
in the newspapers, among the arrivals of the day before, "The brig
Pilgrim, Faucon, from San Diego, California." In a few hours I was
down in Ann Street, and on my way to Hackstadt's boarding-house, where
I knew Tom Harris and others would lodge. Entering the front room, I
heard my name called from amid a group of blue-jackets, and several
sunburned, tar-colored men came forward to speak to me. They were, at
first, a little embarrassed by the dress and style in which they had
never seen me, and one of them was calling me Mr. Dana; but I soon
stopped that, and we were shipmates once more. First, there was Tom
Harris, in a characteristic occupation. I had made him promise to come
and see me when we parted in San Diego; he had got a directory of
Boston, found the street and number of my father's house, and, by a
study of the plan of the city, had laid out his course, and was
committing it to memory. He said he could go straight to the house
without asking a question. And so he could, for I took the book from
him, and he gave his course, naming each street and turn to right or
left, directly to the door.
Tom had been second mate of the Pilgrim, and had laid up no mean sum of
money. True to his resolution, he was going to England to find his
mother, and he entered into the comparative advantages of taking his
money home in gold or in bills,--a matter of some moment, as this was
in the disastrous financial year of 1837. He seemed to have his ideas
well arranged, but I took him to a leading banker, whose advice he
followed; and, declining my invitation to go up and show himself to my
friends, he was off for New York that afternoon, to sail the next day
for Liverpool. The last I ever saw of Tom Harris was as he passed down
Tremont Street on the sidewalk, a man dragging a hand-cart in the
street by his side, on which were his voyage-worn chest, his mattress,
and a box of nautical instruments.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account