As I bade good-by to each successive place, I felt as though one
link after another were struck from the chain of my servitude.
Having kept close in shore, for the land-breeze, we passed the mission
of San Juan Capestrano the same night, and saw distinctly, by the
bright moonlight, the hill which I had gone down by a pair of halyards
in search of a few paltry hides. "Forsan et haec olim," thought I, and
took my last look of that place too. And on the next morning we were
under the high point of San Diego. The flood tide took us swiftly
in, and we came-to, opposite our hide-house, and prepared to get
everything in trim for a long stay. This was our last port. Here we
were to discharge everything from the ship, clean her out, smoke
her, take in our hides, wood, water, etc, and set sail for Boston.
While all this was doing, we were to be still in one place, and the
port was a safe one, and there was no fear of south-easters.
Accordingly, having picked out a good berth, in the stream, with a
good smooth beach opposite, for a landing" Place and within two
cables' length of our hide-house, we moored ship, unbent all the
sails, sent down the top-gallant yards and all the studding-sail
booms, and housed the top-gallant masts.
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