l6 PENIKESE. 



he "had selected from the loose earth scattered about 

 the pier around him, to the great delight of a still 

 smaller specimen of existence, who jumped about 

 and clapped his hands, as he counted the skips, most 

 gleefully. It was a characteristic scene for such a 

 place, and I watched it all with idle interest whilst 

 waiting for the whistle of the "Helen Augusta" to 

 summon us on board. 



From this scene I wandered about amongst the old 

 whale ships, which, like huge ghosts, reared high in 

 air their whitened spars and exposed their bleaching 

 sides to the hot sun, or lay, in various postures, 

 awaiting, as the case might be, the hands of time or 

 the renorvating touch of busy workmen, while upon 

 some the carpenters were already at their labors. 

 Then I walked up and down the narrow streets close 

 by the wharves; I visited many of the shops and 

 small warehouses; and amused myself in every way 

 possible until, at length, aroused by the shrill scream 

 of the tug-boat, I hastened to the scene of hurry and 

 confusion consequent upon our starting for Penikese. 



On arriving at the wharf, where the tug-boat lay, 

 I found it literally one mass of moving heads and 

 wagon-tops. Everything appeared to be in the 

 wildest disorder and everybody to have lost their 

 senses completely, at least judging from the crazy 

 manner in which people persisted in getting in each 

 others way; nor was the confusion less noticeable on 

 board the steamer, which was small and crowded. 

 There were trunks, hat-boxes, valises, boxes, crates, 

 and baskets; general kitchen-ware, cooking utensils 

 of all sorts, and furniture mixed with Natural History 

 stores and apparatus; all lying tumbled together so 

 promiscuously and occupying so much room, that, 

 in company with several others, I vainly wandered 

 seeking a place of repose and momentary quiet from 

 the human storm which everywhere surrounded me, 

 and was fain almost to envy even the dirty little 

 urchins, whom I had so recently left, their peace and 

 quiet. 



