182

CHAPTER XIII.

Our Aerie.--The Bay and the Hills.--The Little
Gnome.--Earthquake.--Temporary Residents.--The
Trade-Wind.--Seal-Rocks.--Farallon Islands.--Exhilarating
Air.--Approach of Summer.--Centennial
Procession.--Suicides.--Mission Dolores.--Father Pedro Font
and his Expedition.--The Mission Indians.--Chinese Feast of
the Dead.--Curious Weather. 199

CHAPTER XIV.

Quong.--His _Protege_.--His Peace-Offering.--The Chinese and
their Grandmothers.--Ancient Ideas.--Irish, French, and
Spanish Chinamen.--Chinese Ingenuity.--Hostility against the
Chinese.--Their Proclamations.--Discriminations against
them.--Their Evasion of the Law.--Their Perseverance against
all Obstacles.--Their Reverence for their Ancestors, and
Fear of the Dead.--Their Medical Knowledge.--Their Belief in
the Future.--Their Curious Festivals.--Indian Names for the
Months.--Resemblance between the Indians and
Chinese.--Their Superstitions. 220

CHAPTER XV.

Chun Fa's Funeral.--Alameda.--Gophers and Lizards.--Poison
Oak.--Sturdy Trees.--Baby Lizards.--Old Alameda.--Emperor
Norton.--California Generosity.--The Dead
Newsboy.--Anniversary of the Goddess Kum Fa.--Chinese Regard
for the Moon and Flowers.--A Shin Worshipper. 242

LIFE AT PUGET SOUND.

I.

At Sea.--Mariguana Island.--Sea-Birds.--Shipwreck.--Life on
Roncador Reef.--The Rescue.--Isthmus of Panama.--Voyage to San
Francisco.--The New Baby.

ATLANTIC OCEAN, May 26, 1865.

It is a great experience to feel the loneliness of the sea,--to see the
whole circle of the heavens, and nothing under it but the rising and
falling water, from morning till night, day after day.

The first night we were out the porpoises came up at twilight, and
sported round the vessel. I saw some sea-birds that seemed to be
playing,--running and sliding on the green, glassy waves. In the wake of
the vessel were most beautiful changing colors. Little Nelly S. sat with
us to watch the phosphorescence. She said, "The stars in the sea call to
me, with little fine voices, 'Nelly, Nelly, are you alive?'"

MAY 27, 1865.

We have had our first sight of land,--Mariguana, a coral island, one of
the Bahamas. Every one stood in silence to see it, it was so beautiful.
The spray dashed so high, tha