he
yards and the rigging overhauled in a shorter time. "All ready forward,
sir!" "All ready the main!" "Crossjack yards all ready, sir!" "Lay
down, all hands but one on each yard!" The yard-arm and bunt gaskets
were cast off; and each sail hung by the jigger, with one man standing
by the tie to let it go. At the same moment that we sprang aloft a dozen
hands sprang into the rigging of the California, and in an instant were
all over her yards; and her sails too were ready to be dropped at the
word. In the mean time our bow gun had been loaded and run out, and its
discharge was to be the signal for dropping the sails. A cloud of smoke
came out of our bows; the echoes of the gun rattled our farewell among
the hills of California, and the two ships were covered from head to
foot with their white canvas. For a few minutes all was uproar and
apparent confusion; men jumping about like monkeys in the rigging; ropes
and blocks flying, orders given and answered amid the confused noises of
men singing out at the ropes. The topsails came to the mastheads with
"Cheerly, men!" and in a few minutes every sail was set, for the wind
was light. The head sails were backed, the windlass came round
"slip--slap" to the cry of the sailors;--"Hove short, sir," said the
mate; "Up with him!"--"Ay, ay, sir." A few hearty and long heaves, and
the anchor showed its head. "Hook cat!" The fall was stretched along the
decks; all hands laid hold;--"Hurrah, for the last time," said the mate;
and the anchor came to the cathead to the tune of 'Time for us to go,'
with a rollicking chorus. Everything was done quick, as though it _was_
for the last time. The head yards were filled away, and our ship began
to move through the water on her homeward-bound course.

The California had got under way at the same moment, and we sailed down
the narrow bay abreast, and were just off the mouth, and, gradually
drawing ahead of her, were on the point of giving her three parting
cheers, when suddenly we found ourselves stopped short, and the
California ranging fast ahead of us. A bar stretches across the mouth of
the harbor, with water enough to float common vessels; but being low in
the water, and having kept well to leeward, as we were bound to the
southward, we had stuck fast, while the California, being light, had
floated over.

We kept all sail on, in the hope of forcing over; but failing in this,
we hove back into the channel. This was something of a damper to us,