220 NIMROD OF THE SEA; OR, 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Post-office of the Galapagos. Senora Villamill's Monkey. Farewell to 

 the Galapagos. An unfortunate and mutinous Ship. The wide Range 

 of Whalemen. Burke's Eulogy on American Whalemen. The Mutiny. 

 Bingham's Row with Second Mate. Council of War in Forecastle. 

 The difficult Decision. Man tied up. Hans returns Good for Evil, and 

 strikes back, and Row generally. The Captain slashes round. 



A CURIOUS feature of the Galapagos is the novel post-office, 

 established there by Commodore Porter, during the last war 

 with England, while the Essex harbored in the island which 

 bears the name of her worthy captain. He placed a large 

 terrapin shell on a conspicuous point of Black-lava Rock. As 

 round and white as a huge skull, it is a prominent landmark 

 to vessels coasting among the islands.. The enormous shell 

 forms the roof of the letter-box, and it is the custom of ships 

 to send a boat ashore and overhaul the mail for any letters 

 that may have been left there for them, and to deposit any 

 letters they may have directed to ships long out which may 

 touch at the islands. 



The evening before we sailed, Senora Villamill presented 

 the captain with a monkey, and the governor sent on board a 

 splendid red-hackled Spanish game-cock whether as tokens 

 of the estimation in which they held the good man or not, 

 I can not say. The monkey was christened " Ichabod ;" the 

 game-cock, " Commodore Porter." The Elmira got under 

 way at the same time with us. Captain Marchant is one of 

 Nature's noblemen, and consequently has a good crew, capa- 

 ble of putting captain and ship through a tight place when 

 needs be. May every success attend them ! 



Dec. 2. We have lost sight of the islands. Whether they 



