HOMEWARD BOUND — NORTHWARD. 295 



through. We experienced the same vicissitudes as in the last 

 named places, although the pirates were more villainous look- 

 ing. Many of these were Jamaica negroes, and a more repul- 

 sive set of beings I never saw, unless they were the Diggers on 

 the Great Desert. Some were giants with feet like those of 

 " Dandy Jim of Caroline." Many of the venders were females, 

 who, in their outlandish English, addressed us affectionately 

 as " Come my lub, buy dis bottle Jamaky rum, brot it from 

 dar meself ;" or, " Here honey, hab one dese big pine-apples." 

 They looked like scant-frocked gorillas. 



Our Atlantic steamer was the " Northern Light," which we 

 boarded in the afternoon. In San Francisco we had our 

 berths, such as they were, numbered, so that there was no con- 

 fusion ; but here the earliest bird got the choicest worm ; thus 

 there was much rushing and crowding to get bunks on the first 

 deck. Each one had to show his ticket, and " stowaways " had 

 a poor show. There were several of these who beat their way 

 from San Francisco, and in their impudence boasted of their 

 doings. But one of these got on to the " Northern Light." He 

 was a rowdy New York boy, who, when he was refused 

 passage, watched his opportunity, jumped into the water, 

 climbed up the paddle wheel and got through an opening to 

 the deck when he was discovered. The officers were going to 

 put him ashore, but he pleaded so hard and looked so forlorn 

 in his drenched clothes that he was allowed to continue on 

 his way by working his passage heaving coal. He was a 

 " Bowery Boy," and had been full of his pranks; but now, 

 when we saw him, he was crestfallen enough, and so remained 

 until his old haunts on the Battery met his gaze. 



Whenever we left a port the people showed the greatest 

 regret, which was greatly to our credit. At Aspinwall they 

 crowded on the wharf, and howled and yelled and swore as 

 they thrust long poison-filled bottles at us, and pine-apples and 

 bunches of bananas, and so continued until the vessel left. 



