New York to Texas 49 



Two of our men had to be returned from this 

 place of bars, billiards and thirsty souls, and one of 

 our otherwise best men was dismissed because he 

 met some of his old "friends" (?) who would 

 insist not only on a jovial dinner, but masked balls 

 and all the other concomitants, and after four days 

 of this, a unanimous vote of the company expelled 

 him. 



Sunday is selected at New Orleans for the depar- 

 ture of vessels to all parts of the world and at ten 

 o'clock on the morning of March the 4th, we left 

 in the steamer "Globe" for Brazos, north of Rio 

 Grande. We descended the river to the mouth, 

 but anchored there, as there is a dangerous bar, 

 and the weather not looking favorable the Captain 

 of our frail vessel deemed it prudent to wait until 

 dawn before attempting to go further. We left 

 our anchorage at daybreak, the cross seas of the 

 outer bar breaking over the bows at almost every 

 wave, and I felt that if a real gale came up from the 

 south-east our trip to California would soon end. 

 The day continued as it had begun. I went to my 

 berth and could not have been persuaded that it 

 was not blowing hard if I had not been able to see 

 the water from my porthole. The night came on 

 with a full moon and the trade wind of the Gulf 

 just fanned a ripple on the old swell to send 

 millions of sparkling lights in petty imitation of 

 those spangling the heavens. 



