He had travelled overland to the
North-west Coast, and come down in a small vessel to Monterey. There
he learned that there was a ship at the leeward, about to sail for
Boston; and, taking passage in the Pilgrim, which was then at
Monterey, he came slowly down, visiting the intermediate ports, and
examining the trees, plants, earths, birds, etc., and joined us at San
Diego shortly before we sailed. The second mate of the Pilgrim told me
that they had an old gentleman on board who knew me, and came from the
college that I had been in. He could not recollect his name, but
said he was a "sort of an oldish man," with white hair, and spent
all his time in the bush, and along the beach, picking up flowers
and shells, and such truck, and had a dozen boxes and barrels, full of
them. I thought over everybody who would be likely to be there, but
could fix upon no one; when, the next day, just as we were about to
shove off from the beach, he came down to the boat, in the rig I
have described, with his shoes in his hand, and his pockets full of
specimens. I knew him at once, though I should not have been more
surprised to have seen the Old South steeple shoot up from the
hide-house.
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