the crew, to a man, followed the example
of our trustworthy officers, and determined to have a jovial time on
shore. We left the good schooner Lydia soberly riding at anchor, to take
care of herself. There were several other vessels in the harbor, all of
which were deserted in the same manner. Not a living animal was to be
found in the whole fleet. After passing weeks at sea, the temptation to
tread the firm earth, and participate in a Fourth of July frolic, was
too strong to be resisted.

Hyannis was then quite a humble village with a profusion of salt works.
Farm houses were thinly scattered around, and comfort seemed inscribed
on every dwelling. There seemed to be an abundance of people moving
about on that day; where they came from was a problem I could not solve.
Every one seemed pleased and happy, and, with commendable patriotism,
resolved to enjoy Independence Day. The young men were neatly
apparelled, and bent on having a joyous time; and the girls Cape Cod
girls, ever renowned for beauty and worth gayly decked out with smiles,
and dimples, and ribbons, ready for a Fourth of July frolic, dazzled the
eyes of the beholders, and threw a magic charm over the scene.

And a frolic they had; fiddling, dancing, fun, and patriotism was the
order of the day. In the evening, however, the entertainments were
varied by the delivery of a sermon and other religious exercises in the
school-house by a young Baptist clergyman, who subsequently became well
known for his praiseworthy and successful efforts to reduce the rates on
postage in the United States. This good man accomplished the great work
of his life and died. A simple monument is erected to his memory at
Mount Auburn, with no more than these words of inscription:

"BARNABAS BATES,
FATHER OF CHEAP POSTAGE."

Hardly a person visits that consecrated ground who has not reaped
enjoyment from the labors of that man's life. And as the simple
epitaph meets the eye, and is read in an audible tone, the heart-felt
invocation, "Blessings on his memory!" is his oft-repeated elegy.

It was about nine o'clock in the evening when the crew returned to
the schooner. After we gained the deck I was seized with an unpleasant
sensation. A sudden chill seemed to congeal the blood in my veins; my
teeth chattered, and my frame shook with alarming violence. After the
lapse of about thirty minutes the chills gave place to an attack of
fever, which, in an hour or two, also disappear