Four of our men, a few days afterwards, went up in one of the
quarter-boats to Santa Clara, to carry the agent, and remained out all
night in a drenching rain, in the small boat, where there was not room
for them to turn round; the agent having gone up to the mission and
left the men to their fate, making no provision for their
accommodation, and not even sending them anything to eat. After
this, they had to pull thirty miles, and when they got on board,
were so stiff that they could not come up the gangway ladder. This
filled up the measure of the agent's unpopularity, and never after
this could he get anything done by any of the crew; and many a delay
and vexation, and many a good ducking in the surf, did he get to pay
up old scores, or "square the yards with the bloody quill-driver."
Having collected nearly all the hides that were to be procured, we
began our preparations for taking in a supply of wood and water, for
both of which, San Francisco is the best place on the coast. A small
island, situated about two leagues from the anchorage, called by us
"Wood Island," and by the Spaniards "Isle de Los Angelos," was covered
with trees to the water's edge; and to this, two of our crew, who were
Kennebec men, and could handle an axe like a plaything, were sent
every morning to cut wood, with two boys to pile it up for them.
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