feast, and attacked the big pot unceasingly, whose capacious interior
did not shrink from the encounter. Still there is an end to all things,
and there was, after a great while, to our appetites; so we sighed
deeply, and drained the cups to the memory of '76, and other republican
sentiments of patriotic tendency.

As the shades of evening began to fall, we walked into the water and had
a delicious bath. The old jolly was then gotten ready, and as the last
rays of the setting sun flashed behind the western hills, we pushed from
the strand, and gave three cheers in commemoration of our marine
pic-nic. The light land wind wafted our bark slowly down the bay--the
large lug sail swelled sluggishly over the gunwale, sound asleep. The
crew were doubled up on the thawts, sound asleep also; and our own
coterie, while listening to a narrative by Magarrabin, one by one dropt
into slumber, and there was no one awake save the helmsman. I was
comfortably esconced on the low grating, and on awaking the "pale night
stars in millions bespangled heaven's pavilions." The breeze had
freshened, and the water was seething and hissing under the cut-water.
"Hillo! coxswain, where are we? near the ship, eh?" "Sir," said Fagan
solemnly, "we have not budged an inch these two hours--it's strong
flood." True enough we had been sailing in an aquatic treadmill, going
through all the motions, without getting ahead. Pending these
reflections Luigi came forward, and peering through the gloom to have a
glimpse at the surrounding scenery--for he was near-sighted--accidentaly
lost his foothold, and popped overboard. I caught him by the toe of his
boot, and assisted by the brawny arms of a stout Dutchlander, who,
reaching down, seized our friend Luigi by the head, and letting go his
heels, he righted, and was hauled on board.

The oars were now called to account, and without any further episode,
sometime during the night we crept sedately up the frigate's side,
descended to our several dormitories, and sank peacefully to rest. This
was the way we passed the glorious anniversary, thousands of leagues
away from our homes and country.

A few days afterwards, in one of the frigate's large cutters we departed
on an excursion of longer duration, for the Pearl Fisheries. We sailed
late in the afternoon for the Island of San Jose. It stands like a
sentinel at the mouth of the great bay, almost forty miles from the
usual anchorage of La Paz. With a fresh and fai