V

AN ATTACK BY THE ENEMY

The _Georgia_ pulled out that very evening instead of lying over until
morning; and it was rumored that even with this hasty start there would
be barely time enough for the passengers to catch the Pacific Mail
steamship at Panama, for San Francisco.

Mr. Adams and the Fremont man (whose name was Grigsby) stayed by the
baggage until the steamer sailed; but Charley wandered about the decks,
"seeing things." And there was plenty to see. The _Georgia_ seemed to
be a fine boat. She had three decks, all crowded. The upper deck was
for the first-cabin passengers, who paid the highest fare, and were
supposed to have special privileges of table and state-rooms. The
pilot-house was forward, and so were the rooms of the captain and first
officers. The second deck contained the large dining cabin, with
state-rooms on either side of it for the other officers and the
second-cabin passengers. Down below, on the first deck, where the
portholes were often under water, in a large room with rude bunks in
tiers along the sides were crowded the steerage passengers. Here they
ate and slept, all together. On this deck, forward, were housed the
crew; and some steerage passengers overflowed into the forward end of
the second deck.

Dusk was settling when the _Georgia_ emerged from the broad mouth of
the Mississippi into the Gulf. At the same time a bugle blew for
supper--and what a scramble there was! The first-cabin passengers were
to eat first, while the second-cabin must wait. As for the steerage
passengers, Charley afterwards found out that they were fed, a bunch at
a time, from a board platform slung from the ceiling by ropes, behind a
railed partition. Enough were admitted by the stewards to fill the
enclosure; when they had eaten out of the tin dishes supplied with stew
and beans, etc., from dirty kettles, another hungry company were let
through.

Almost before the bugle signal had done ringing, the first-cabin tables
were crowded, and passengers were standing behind the chairs, waiting
impatiently for those seated to quit and get up. The long-nosed man
and his two cronies had been smart, or else they had bullied their way,
for they already were eating when, too late, Charley and his father
arrived. Saying, good-naturedly, "I guess I'll stand guard while you
fellows eat," Mr. Grigsby had remained by the boat.

"We'll wait a bit, ourselves," spoke Mr. Adams, to Charley, as they
c