as
anchored out in the bay, some distance from shore. It was announced that
no sick persons could go on the steamer. As I was quite enfeebled from
my sickness, and was at my best in the morning, I thought I would make
an early start, so as to be sure and be aboard, as they were all to be
on board the vessel to sail early the next morning. I started out for a
boat to take me out to it with the highest elasticity of feelings, not
so much from the prospect of financial success as the idea that if I
could get North again my physical health would be restored, and the
steamer was going North. It seemed at times that I would have given
$1,000 for one good breath of Northern air. As I was going along, some
distance ahead of me, sitting at the doors of a doggery, with his head
almost between his knees, the picture of despair, was my Washington
friend, who waited on my room at the hotel when I first arrived, did me
many favors, and got hold of my sympathies. I said to myself, poor
fellow, I can do nothing for you. I must not let him see me, so I dodged
and passed him. When I got some distance by him my conscience smote me.
I will go back and speak to him; so I did. I had advised him a few days
previous to go and see some officers of the boat and offer to go up as
waiter without pay. I asked him if he had done so, and what luck? He
said there was no hope. They told him they had been offered $300 for the
privilege of going up as waiter. I then told him I had a ticket. I was
going then for a boat to go on board. That his case was desperate, and
that desperate cases required desperate remedies; that he had been down
twice with the fever, and the next time he would probably die; that he
had no friends there nor money; if he would do as I told him I would
stand by him and he must have nerve. He said to me: "How can a man have
nerve without a dollar in his pocket?" which exclamation has occurred to
me many times since. I asked him to hire a boat to get him out to the
vessel, and what it would cost. He said $2. I gave him the money and
told him to get his baggage. He said he had none. I told him to come
about 11 o'clock and go to work among the hands as if he was one of
them; that all were new hands and officers, and they would not know the
difference. He said that the captain had said if any person was caught
on board without a ticket they would be put on shore at the first
uninhabited island. I told him I would attend to that in his case