FIRST EXPERIENCES 
57 
of “running” an otter; while as for myself, I was 
absolutely green as regards the life I was embarking 
upon, but a fair shot both with rifle and shot-gun, 
and, as already indicated, a keen sportsman. The 
crew were a mixture of Europeans and Japanese, 
with a Japanese cook who, by chance, could some¬ 
times make decent bread and boil a potato. His 
great stand-by was dry hash, which he gave us three 
times a day for the whole voyage. 
Our battery consisted of a couple of Snider 
rifles, one “ Spencer,” one English muzzle-loader, 
two •44-rim-fire Winchesters, and a 12-bore C. F. 
shot-gun. 
We were late in starting, it being June 20, 1873— 
on an unlucky Friday, too—before we sailed. Three 
days out we met a heavy gale, in which, just as the 
worst of it was over, we were dismasted. The sea 
was running very high, and, to make matters worse, 
we were in a heavy current-rip, the vessel pitching 
and rolling considerably owing to a sudden lull in 
the wind. While at dinner, about half-past twelve 
noon, there was a tremendous crash, and the d6bris 
of the skylight covered the cabin table. A rush was 
made on deck, where we found a complete wreck of 
everything. Both masts were down ; one had broken 
off level with the deck, the other about 6 feet above 
it. The galley with most of its contents, and the 
skylights, were completely smashed by the masts 
falling on them, and the mainboom was broken in 
two. Part of the wreckage had gone overboard, 
the heavy seas causing the broken spars to pound 
against the schooner with a deafening noise. 
For a short time great excitement prevailed, on 
the part of the old skipper and the mate more 
