Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/202



CHAPTER VIII.

THE VOYAGE  TO  CALIFORNIA— PANAMi  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.

We have  had  enough  of  action,  and  of  motion  we,

Rolled to  starboard,  rolled  to  larboard,  when  the  surge  was  seething  free, Where the  wallowing  monster  spouted  his  foam-fountains  in  the  sea.

— The  Lotos-Eaters.

While here  upon  the  Isthmus,  and  before  proceed- ing on our  journey  to  San  Francisco,  let  us  glance  at the  route  round  the  continent,  that  we  may  be  better able to  make  comparisons  as  we  go  along.

There have  been  many  remarkable  voyages  to  Cal- ifornia by sailing  vessels,  as  well  from  Panama  to  San Francisco as  round  Cape  Horn;  there  have  been many adventures  connected  with  them  far  more  thrill- ing than any  that  occurred  in  the  voyages  by  steamer. The voyage  round  the  Horn,  as  it  was  called,  did  not differ materially  from  sea  voyages  elsewhere;  that from Panama  to  San  Francisco  had  at  this  time  a marked  individuality,  a  few  examples  of  which  I  will give.

The rickety  schooner  Dolphim,  of  100  tons,  left  Pa- nama in January  1849,  with  forty-five  persons. After putting into  several  ports  for  supplies,  the  passengers had to  abandon  the  craft  at  Mazatlan  and  transfer themselves to  the  bark  Matilda. They finally  reached San Francisp.o  on  the  6th  of  May,  having  spent  110 days on  the  voyage  from  Panamd.

But the  career  of  the  Dolphin  was  not  yet  at  an end. Certain gold-seeking  waifs  then  in  Mazatlan, anxious to  reach  California,  bought  and  refitted  her.