14 Reminiscences of 



several varieties, and one day I caught a barrelful 

 of cape pigeons, so called from their resemblance to 

 that bird, but web-footed. These afforded several 

 good meals for all hands, and they seemed very good 

 eating at the time. I caught these with a long line, 

 to which was attached a good-sized morsel of salt 

 pork, below which extended a string of hooks on a 

 strip of wood, on which the feet of the birds became 

 entangled as the vessel moved on. This was a base 

 and unfair method, which I now regret. 



I landed in San Francisco well armed, but com- 

 paratively penniless, ten cents being all of my remaining 

 capital of sixty dollars I had started with; fifty-nine 

 dollars and ninety cents having been diverted by poker 

 games, in which I was initiated by several young men 

 on the voyage at one-cent ante and ten-cent limit. 



An unfortunate incident occurred in connection 

 with a family of Braggs, who had engaged passages 

 and had their baggage aboard our ship, by being left 

 behind. Our ship was delayed in loading for several 

 days after the date fixed, and this family, depend- 

 ing upon its being still longer delayed, were visiting 

 in an adjoining town and overlooked. The family 

 sailed two weeks afterwards for San Francisco in a 

 succeeding ship of the same line. 



When we pulled in at San Francisco, Mr. Bragg 

 was on the wharf awaiting our arrival, having been 

 in the city two weeks before our arrival, our ship 

 being a month longer in passage than the one he 

 sailed on with his family. On this following ship, 

 which had t been loading some time before our ship 

 sailed, he had loaded all of his goods in trade, valued 

 at $10,000, consisting principally of furniture, giving 



