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Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882

"Two Years Before the Mast"

To this cave he was carried before daybreak
in the morning, and supplied with bread and water, and there
remained until he saw us under way and well round the point.
Friday, March 27th. The captain having given up all hope of
finding Foster, and being unwilling to delay any longer, gave
orders for unmooring ship, and we made sail, dropping slowly down
with the tide and light wind. We left letters with Captain
Bradshaw to take to Boston, and were made miserable by hearing him
say that he should be back again before we left the coast. The
wind, which was very light, died away soon after we doubled the
point, and we lay becalmed for two days, not moving three miles
the whole time, and a part of the second day were almost within
sight of the vessels. On the third day, about noon, a cool
sea-breeze came rippling and darkening the surface of the water,
and by sundown we were off San Juan, which is about forty miles
from San Diego, and is called half-way to San Pedro, where we were
bound. Our crew was now considerably weakened. One man we had lost
overboard, another had been taken aft as clerk, and a third had
run away; so that, beside Stimson and myself, there were only
three able seamen and one boy of twelve years of age.


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