But it soon became so loud and general from all parts of the
beach, that we were led to go to the door; and there, sure enough,
were two sails coming round the point, and leaning over from the
strong north-west wind, which blows down the coast every afternoon.
The headmost was a ship, and the other, a brig. Everybody was alive on
the beach, and all manner of conjectures were abroad. Some said it was
the Pilgrim, with the Boston ship, which we were expecting; but we
soon saw that the brig was not the Pilgrim, and the ship with her
stump top-gallant masts and rusty sides, could not be a dandy Boston
Indiaman. As they drew nearer, we soon discovered the high poop and
top-gallant forecastle, and other marks of the Italian ship Rosa,
and the brig proved to be the Catalina, which we saw at Santa Barbara,
just arrived from Valparaiso. They came to anchor, moored ship, and
commenced discharging hides and tallow. The Rosa had purchased the
house occupied by the Lagoda, and the Catalina took the other spare
one between ours and the Ayacucho's, so that, now, each one was
occupied, and the beach, for several days, was all alive.
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