408 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
covered with ice several inches thick; the masts like vast 
icicles, and the old man and every man expecting every mo¬ 
ment to go down! After drifting, however, as far as 70° 
South, the gale abated, the wind changed, we cut away the 
studding-sail, rigged another, and stood away for the north, 
and in a few days got rid of our ice and other troubles. We 
now took our course for New Zealand, and about 300 miles 
east of that island fell in w r ith the whales I thought of, as 
we”——. “ Bear a hand there, you lubbers.” “ Aye, aye, sir.” 
“ Bring out the old trysail, and run your yarns into that.” 
u Aye, aye, sir.” And thus was Tom’s yarn again severed, 
much to his chagrin, and my regret; for I longed to hear a 
whalesman’s account of his bold and dangerous calling. 
On the 10th of May we came in sight of Cape San. Lucas, 
bearing thirty miles SE. It was about five o’clock, P. M. 
The wind had been dying away since noon, and now barely 
kept the ship moving. The western portion of the sea was 
all light and glorious; it lay panting, as a wearied giant just 
returned from the field of conflict. The sun, as he fell stea¬ 
dily down the great arc of heaven, was reflected more and 
more widely and intensely, until his reddest rays shot through 
the clear tops of the billows, and scattered a purple drapery 
of clouds sprinkled with gold up half the western sky. Gay- 
plumaged land birds gathered on the rigging, and twittered 
and sang to the approaching twilight. The land was eight 
miles from us ; a rough red waste of mountains! those holy 
desolations where the Indians’ God made his descent to bless 
them, their streams, their fruits, and give elasticity to their 
bows. Sturdy scenes ! rocks on rocks, gloom on gloom, sand 
on sand, and dearth feeding dearth, and universal thirst prey¬ 
ing on animal and herb! The living things in the sea fro¬ 
licked around us. The dolphin, the bonitos, the flying fish, 
the porpoise, the right whale, were all employing their 
muscles in their own way among the sleeping waters; and 
about the sides of the almost motionless vessel swarmed shoals 
of bright and active little fish that seemed to beseech us for 
