Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/220

 would some-

times preach,  if  not,  the  purser  would  read  the  Epis- copal service. Every few  days,  after  the  waiter  had put the  rooms  in  order,  the  captain  and  steward made a  tour  of  inspection,  looking  into  each  room  as they  passed  by,  while  the  waiter  followed  in  the  rear. The kitchen  of  a  Rotterdam  housewife  is  not  more brightly polished  than  the  cook's  galley  on  inspection days. Lighted up  at  night,  to  one  viewing  it  from  a distance,  the  steamer  looked  like  a  fairy  floating palace.

Some few  were  suffering  from  Panamd,  fever,  and one poor  fellow,  a  young  man  in  the  second  cabin, died. It is  a  sad  sight,  a  burial  at  sea ;  sad  m  its  mo- nitions, and sad  in  its  suggestive  retrospections;  sad in its  summoned  thoughts  of  hopes  cut  off,  of  riven hearts and  wailing  homes. The body  was  sewed  up in  a  canvas  shroud,  and  a  shot  and  some  pigiron  at- tached to the  feet ;  it  was  then  placed  upon  a  plank, one end  of  which  was  extended  over  the  ship's  side ; the steamer  was  stopped  for  a  moment,  a  prayer  was read, the  signal  given,  and  the  body  slid  off  into  its liquid grave.

Skirting the  low,  abruptly  changing  shores  of  Guat- emala, its huge  volcanic  mountains  are  seen  in  dim outline rising  from  the  plain  of  foliage  to  a  height  of thirteen  and  fourteen  thousand  feet,  with  their  grace- ful cones seemingly  smoking  within  a  veil  of  mist. Here we  met  the  steamer  with  eastward  bound  pas- sengers. The ship's  officers  were  looking  for  her. At first  nothing:  was  seen  but  a  column  of  black  smoke rising from  below  the  horizon,  then  the  smoke-pipe, and beneath  it  an  ink-spot  not  larger  than  a  pea-pod, which stood  for  the  hull. This black  spot  gradually enlarged and  assumed  shape,  until  it  loomed  high  upon the water,  a  bellowing  monster  flaunting  its  finery  not a hundred  yards  from  us,  with  its  decks  crowded  with men and  women  waving  hats  and  handkerchiefs. Guns were  fired,  and  a  boat  lowered  to  make  the  ex- changies. There is  much  that  is  grand  and  i