TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIA S. 
409 
protection and food. As the sun’s disc sank below the hori¬ 
zon, and he withdrew his last rays from the mists of the sea, 
and left the stars to their own twinkling, the mellow clear 
blue of a tropical sky came out over us; such a sky as hangs 
over Athens and the Egean tides and islands. This was re¬ 
flected back from the waves, on which the stars danced and 
flickered, were extinguished and lighted up again? as swell 
after swell approached the ship, and rocked, as does the 
heart of the mother the child slumbering on her breast. The 
moon was in the first quarter, rounding to the full. And I 
remember never to have felt so strong a sympathy with it as 
on that glorious night. If dreams come when reason sleeps, 
and recollection serves only to feed the affections, and deepen 
the musings of the imagination and associating powers, I cer¬ 
tainly dreamed with eyes on the moon and stars and the sea 
of that night. The day had gone ; it was night; the stars 
were out, and the sea was dancing to the music of the far 
distant and ceased tempest, and the moon had come over my 
home, was shining through its windows upon the table at 
which we ate, on the chairs in which we sat, on the walls 
that had witnessed the high and unmarred pleasures of the 
domestic affections. It was lighting up the altar of my holiest 
hopes, and crowding upon it every gem of joy which had 
shone on the path of the past! A bird chirped among the 
rigging a note w T hich resembled one that had gladdened even¬ 
ing walks, and often died in the ear as in the opening spring 
sleep was gathering us to rest; and that chosen star, that con¬ 
secrated star, that star on which we hung our vows at parting, 
was looking down upon me ! I'walked forward among the 
watch, who were loitering about the forecastle in silence. 
“ A fine night this, sir,” said one of them, “ a fine night, sir. 
This w r eather reminds one of our New England Indian sum¬ 
mers, when I used to go out of an evening to a country dance, 
and throw clubs into the trees to get the finest apples for the 
neighboring girls. I recollect that I lost my heart on just 
such a night as this, when about twelve years old ! I wen 4 
