I had been but a few hours on the beach, and the Pilgrim was
hardly out of sight, when the cry of "Sail ho!" was raised, and a
small hermaphrodite brig rounded the point, bore up into the harbor,
and came to anchor. It was the Mexican brig Fazio, which we had left
at San Pedro, and which had come down to land her tallow, try it all
over, and make new bags, and then take it in, and leave the coast.
They moored ship, erected their try-works on shore, put up a small
tent, in which they all lived, and commenced operations. They made
an addition to our society, and we spent many evenings in their
tent, where, amid the Babel of English, Spanish, French, Indian, and
Kanaka, we found some words that we could understand in common.
The morning after my landing, I began the duties of hide-curing.
In order to understand these, it will be necessary to give the whole
history of a hide, from the time it is taken from a bullock until it
is put on board the vessel to be carried to Boston. When the hide is
taken from the bullock, holes are cut round it, near the edge, by
which it is staked out to dry. In this manner it dries without
shrinking.
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