A FLOATING HOME. 393 



Cruz or New-Orleans — Pawling's journey, so far as re- 

 lated to this object, would have been fruitless. We 

 settled the details of sending the plaster with Pawling 

 to Palenque, receiving and shipping the castings to me 

 at New- York, and on Saturday morning at seven 

 o'clock bade farewell to Mr. Russell, and embarked on 

 board the Gabrielacho. Pawling accompanied us out- 

 side the bar, and we took leave of him as he got on 

 board the pilot-boat to return. We had gone through 

 such rough scenes together since he overtook us at the 

 foot of the Sierra Madre, that it may be supposed we 

 did not separate with indifference. Juan was still with 

 us, for the first time at sea, and wondering where we 

 would take him next. 



The Gabrielacho was a beautiful brig of about one 

 hundred and sixty tons, built under Captain Fensley's 

 own direction, one half belonging to himself, and fitted 

 up neatly and tastefully as a home. He had no house 

 on shore ; one daughter was at boarding-school in the 

 United States, and the rest of his family, consisting of 

 his wife and a little daughter about three years old, 

 was with him on board. Since his marriage seven 

 years before, his wife had remained but one year on 

 shore, and she determined not to leave him again as 

 long as he followed the seas, while he was resolved 

 that every voyage should be the last, and looked for- 

 ward to the consummation of every sailor's hopes, a 

 good farm. His daughter Vicentia, or poor Centy, as 

 she called herself, was the pet of all on board ; and 

 we had twelve passengers, interesting to the Common 

 Council of New-York, being enormous turtles, one of 

 which the captain hoped would gladden the hearts of 

 the fathers of the city at their fourth of July dinner. 



The reader cannot realize the satisfaction with which 



Vol. II.— 3 D 



