tinized closely such unimportant details as features,
ways of speech or manners, one could not place his man's former status,
whether as lawyer, physician or roustabout. And we were too busy for
that. I never saw such a busy place as that splattering old ship slowly
wallowing her way south toward the tropical seas. We had fifty-eight
thousand things to discuss, beginning with Marshall's first discovery,
skipping through the clouds of rumours of all sorts, down to intimate
details of climate, outfit, prospects, plans, and the best methods of
getting at the gold. And to all these subjects we brought a dozen points
of view, each of which was strange to all the others. We had with us men
from every stratum of society, and from every point of the compass. Each
was a product of his own training and mental upbringing, and was
incapable, without great effort, of understanding his neighbour's point
of view. Communication and travel were in those days very limited, it
must be remembered, and different communities and sections of the
country produced strong types. With us discussion became an adventurous
exploration into a new country; the man from Maine could not but be
interested in finding out what that strange, straight-haired, dark
creature from Carolina might think of even the most commonplace subject.
Only our subjects were not commonplace.

So my chief impression of that voyage down was of knots of men talking
hurriedly and excitedly, as though there were not a moment to waste; and
the hum of voices rising and falling far into the night.

Only two things were capable of breaking in on this tense absorption of
the men in each other and in their subject--one was dolphins, and the
other the meal gong. When dolphins appeared each rushed promptly to the
side of the ship and discharged his revolver at the beasts. I never saw
any harm come from these fusillades, but they made a wonderful row. Meal
times always caught the majority unaware. They tumbled and jostled down
the companionways only to find the wise and forethoughtful had preempted
every chair. Whereupon, with most ludicrous expressions of chagrin or of
assumed nonchalance, they trooped back to meet the laughter of the wise,
if not forethoughtful, who had realized the uselessness of the rush.
After a moment's grumbling, however, the discussions were resumed.

There was some quarrelling, but not much. A holiday spirit pervaded the
lot; for they were men cut off from all e