THE VOYAGE. 7 



our trunks. Our longed-for trip was finally assuming a tangible 

 form. 



It must not be supposed that our preparations progressed without 

 opposition ; our friends all protested when they learned that Ave 

 were going to South America in the summer. It was in vain that 

 we represented to them that being so near the equator there would 

 be but little difference in the temperature from one year's end to 

 another. Our respective families and relations were disgusted. 

 Their letters to us were filled with our obituaries, with stories of 

 poisonous serpents, of all sorts of malignant and deadly fevers, of 

 assassinations, and of lesser evils without end. I was reminded 

 of the " Jumblies" in the nonsense book, who, 



" 111 spite of all their friends could say, 

 In a sieve they went to sea." 



Well, the winter and spring went by ; June 11 came at last, and 

 found us together in New York. We left our hotel about eleven, 

 drove down to Pier 36, East River, and went aboard the Venezuela 

 about noon. We spent the time remaining before the sailing of our 

 vSteamer in getting our luggage arranged in our very large and com- 

 fortable staterooms, and in examining the ship. The Venezuela was 

 practically new, the staterooms very clean and well ventilated, the 

 saloon and dining-room handsomely finished in quartered oak. She 

 was of 2,300 tons, the largest vessel of the line. 



The pilot came aboard a few minutes before one, and at one sharp 

 we pulled out from the pier, headed down the bay, and started off. 

 I had my " Hawk-eye " in readiness, and took parting shots at the 

 Brooklyn Bridge and the Liberty Statue as we steamed by. The 

 day was very pleasant and the sea smooth. When off Sandy Hook 

 we slowed up, our pilot was taken off by his boat, and we started 

 ahead again. 



Shortly after this I saw my first stormy petrels. Quite a flock of 

 them followed the steamer until it grew too dark to see. They 

 were smaller than I expected to find them, — little gull-like birds 

 with white rumps. 



