loudly of bringing a suit at law for damages sustained
by skin and liver during the voyage.
At last, with all on deck in a flutter of excitement, the ship's stern turns squarely on China, the bow seeks admission to the split shore, and rolling over the chopping bar between the high bluff-bound por- tals of the Golden Gate we enter San Francisco bay, glide along in its smooth waters past Angel island and Alcatraz, when — ^bang! goes the gun; the startled ladies scream, then simper, and as the smoke rolls up and t]ie report reverberates round North point, over the gashed hills and through the streets which appear to rise almost perpendicularly from the water's edge, through scattering brown houses and yellov/ sand, now quiescent under a pale blue-gray misty veil of torn gauze, cheers from the crowd upon the shore come to us over the water, and handkerchiefs wave, /
and boats come alongside — then we move slowly forward to the wharf, and our journey is done.
Out of the piercing chilly air into the soft warm haze of a glowing San Francisco morning, off from the never quiet decks with their nauseating smells, away from the tables with their tasteless food, from cock reached cabins, and the din and clatter of gong and dishes, on to the firm ground again, and into a Ijath and clean linen, and invited by an appetizing breakfast; away from the horrible faces by which we have so long been haunted, from foul-mouthed swearers, and coarse jesters, and selfish, craven, well-nigh soul- less men and women, from surly officers, and crying babies, and whining mothers, and cross fathers ; out and off, and away from them all forever !
But what a scattering of them there will be on the morrow; to the north and to the south, each to his cart-drivincr, or bankino;, or disfo'ino', or begfo-in.r a sit- nation; what variety of schemes and occupations in those so lately close-united in common hopes and peril during their thirty-days' voyage ! Well, let them scatter. The bond of quasi-equality accidentally
