and Amos would
have to go to Bill's house. On our arrival we soon had our house in
order. Opposite to our place was the residence of the priest. I saw a
number of dirty children--about eight--running about the place, also a
woman. As I got better acquainted I had every reason to believe that
poverty, piety, and celibacy were omitted from the Father's creed.

After a rest of several days, we went to his reverence's yard and had a
look at the boat. It was an old yawl from some ship, very short and
broad. We were to make it three feet longer by piecing it in the centre.
The boss asked me for my advice. I knew a lot about boats then. Oh, yes;
a very easy job--if we only knew how! We waited a few days longer before
going to work. Money was very scarce in that town, so they used a small
cedar-board for currency. The size was about six feet long, six inches
wide, and half an inch thick. The value of each was about six cents. The
stores were small, and, for that reason, the cedar-boards were piled up
in the back yards until some merchant would buy them at the market
price--seven dollars a hundred--and ship them to Valparaiso. There were
no lights in the streets at night-time, and the night watchman would
call out the hours and half-hours and the state of the weather during
the whole night, so that one could always know exactly his whereabouts.
My friend Amos, with his past experience, took advantage of that fact,
and induced me to go into the lumber business with him. Night after
night we were busy climbing over fences and carrying off cedar-boards.
About thirty-five each was considered a fair load for a trip. In the
daytime we took them to different places and made our purchases.

One day we at Tom's house got excited. The double-barrelled shotgun was
gone. We watched our chance and stole it back from the house presided
over by Bill and Amos; however, they stole it back again in course of
time, and kept it. Tom's ranch did not suit me, so I went to work for a
native shoemaker. Amos quit Bill and went to Tom. I quit the shoemaker
and went with Bill. About that time Tom concluded it would be easier to
make a new boat out and out. The padre was of the same opinion. He told
Tom he could have the old boat for his own use. So the job began in
earnest, but our friend was not a very good man for that kind of work;
he could not do anything until he took the old yawl apart for patterns
to work by. It was about one year before the new b