120 IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
and that night we went to sleep with heavy 
hearts. 
“ It is said that a special Providence watches 
over drunkards and fools. I don’t know in which 
category we might have been included, but some¬ 
body must be watching over the otter-hunters also, 
for, as we were sitting on the morning of the 30th, 
moody and disconsolate over the fire, we perceived 
a schooner under easy sail about six miles off shore, 
standing to the north-east and evidently bound for 
our first hunting-station. With a joyous shout we 
launched the boats and started out for her. The 
oars were pulled with a will, and in a short time we 
were on board of her. It was our own vessel, coming 
before her time to take us away from the island. 
As she was well supplied with wood and water, there 
was nothing to detain her after we had brought our 
belongings on board, and at noon we were squaring 
away for Yokohama, wing-and-wing, with a fresh 
north-east breeze at our heels. Our Christmas 
dinner cost us about 500 dollars each, without 
taking our sufferings into account; and, after all, 
we did not have any dinner—not any to speak of.” 
