In about two hours more, the whaler came in, and made
a clumsy piece of work in getting her anchor, being obliged to let
go her best bower, and finally, to get out a kedge and a hawser.
They were heave-ho-ing, stopping and unstopping, pawling, catting, and
fishing, for three hours; and the sails hung from the yards all the
afternoon, and were not furled until sundown. The Loriotte came in
just after dark, and let go her anchor, making no attempt to pick up
the other until the next day.
This affair led to a great dispute as to the sailing of our ship and
the Ayacucho. Bets were made between the captains, and the crews
took it up in their own way; but as she was bound to leeward and we to
windward, and merchant captains cannot deviate, a trial never took
place; and perhaps it was well for us that it did not, for the
Ayacucho had been eight years in the Pacific, in every part of it-
Valparaiso, Sandwich Islands, Canton, California, and all, and was
called the fastest merchantman that traded in the Pacific, unless it
was the brig John Gilpin, and perhaps the ship Ann McKim of Baltimore.
Saturday, Nov.
Pages:
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384