THE HURRICANE SEASON. 1 77 



wanted. Retreating hastily, I inquired of the captain 

 if there were not some mistake, and he replied that the 

 berth was mine, and he would have the woman re- 

 moved. She was one of several, who, having only 

 deck passage, had been allowed to lie down in the 

 cabin on the bags of coffee, as the deck was damp. 

 Waiting a little while, I again went down ; and my 

 anger and dismay may be imagined when I found 

 another colored female in the place of the first. Again 

 I sought counsel of the captain ; again was the cabin 

 boy dispatched to warn these interlopers out. Allow- 

 ing another interval to elapse, I again descended, re- 

 moved shoes and coat, and sprang lightly into the 

 bunk, ready to fall asleep in an instant. As I alighted, 

 a cry of pain saluted me ; I became conscious that 

 another of those detestable women had usurped my 

 place, and fled quickly to the deck. The cabin boy 

 rescued my shoes and coat, and I sat down upon a 

 coil of rope, resolved to brave the dangers of the night- 

 damp rather than those of that vile hole below. 



The third morning brought with it hunger, and a 

 drink of black coffee. Later, the turkey, having had 

 the feathers duly plucked from his bones, was placed 

 before us ; but my regard for the turkey was too great 

 to allow me to eat, and I drew my belt the tighter, 

 and looked wistfully toward the purple clouds that I 

 knew were mountains, south of us. The day passed, 

 and in the afternoon the sailors caught a shark. Hun- 

 ger had now overcome all scruples, and I ate with rel- 

 ish of the coarse flesh- that at any other time would 

 have been disgusting. Another night came, and, 

 warned by the experience of the previous one, I spread 

 my blanket on deck and slept soundly, though we had 

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