110 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
in her bottom. They left her, believing she could 
not be repaired; but, knowing it was the only boat 
capable of taking off our heavy things, we Europeans 
took charge, and got her hauled up, repaired, and 
afloat again, before dark. Next morning we loaded 
part of our stuff and sent it on board. On taking 
a second load alongside, those on board, although 
the vessel was practically empty, refused to ship it. 
The boat was sent back, but, after much hard v/ork 
and wrangling, we got it off again at the last minute, 
and with great difficulty reached the steamer, the 
wind and sea having increased considerably. At 
last everything was got on board, and we sailed 
for Nemuro. We were put in the u ’tween decks,” 
the Governor being with us. 
Our sojourn on Yetorup, taking it “ full and by,” 
as Jack says, had under the circumstances been by 
no means unpleasant. Of course, where people are 
thrown together for many months in idleness, 
differences will occasionally arise over very small 
matters. We were no exception to this rule, but 
no bad blood was engendered, the differences being 
soon adjusted, without recourse to lethal weapons, 
but not without recourse to “ arms,” loaded, however, 
with nothing more formidable than fists. The cook 
and one of our sailors were the first belligerents, 
fuel being the cause ; the mate and the steward were 
the next, the cause in this instance being what 
sailors variously term “ lip ” or “ back talk.” 
Then the steward and the cook got to loggerheads, 
and I happened to overhear what led up to it. The 
steward, I may mention, was a mulatto who, in his 
earlier days, had been a slave in the Southern States 
of America, but had escaped in some vessel, and 
