204 Musings by Camp- Fire and Wayside 



all the compasses are correctly adjusted. A squall 

 from the west came up and the ship waited till it 

 should abate somewhat. On Saturday afternoon 

 we were passing out beyond the cape, and I went 

 below for a nap. On awakening everything was 

 still, and on going up on deck, what was my aston- 

 ishment to see that we were back at Port Town- 

 send! The word passed that we were ordered back 

 to Seattle, and I began to get my effects ready to 

 go ashore there and give it up. We had been 

 hailed by some ship with a message. It was soon 

 attended to, and again we started. This time I 

 stood on deck to see whether we would again be 

 brought down by a wing-shot from Washington. 

 But we escaped this time, a fact which would, if 

 they knew it, bring great rejoicing to the govern- 

 ment creditors who loaned the deer which were used 

 in the rescue of the whalers a year ago. 



Port Townsend is the saddest example of a city 

 failure I have seen. It is situated on a fine bay, 

 which forms an ample and well-protected harbor, 

 and is on the shore also of the ocean, the peninsula 

 on which the city is built extending from the bay to 

 the sea. A large brick building, five stories high, 

 which occupies full half a square, and fronts on 

 three streets, is under roof, the partitions studded, 

 the floors partly laid, and there it has stood for years, 

 unfinished and abandoned. Another very fine store 

 block appears to be untenanted. The street car 

 tracks have been taken up. We went to the parson- 



