Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/226



■coast, and  others  with  intentionally  running  his  ship ashore. All the  upward  bound  steamers  were  crowded, and were  unable  to  take  on  board  the  shipwrecked passengers, C.  J.  Dempster,  J.  B,  Crockett,  J.  Mc- Dougal and  wife,  and  thirty-four  others,  men,  women, and children,  succeeded  in  securing  passage  by  the Panama; the  rest  were  obliged  to  wait  until  a  vessel could be  sent  them. There were  in  all  about  ei^ht hundred, passengers  and  crew. Four hundred  had taken passage  in  sailing  vessels  and  steamers  for  San Francisco; the  others  were  in  a  destitute  condition, and subsisted  on  contributions. There was  much  suf- fering among the  women  and  children  during^  their march through  an  inhospitable  country,  and  while  at Acapulco  there  was  much  sickness  and  several  deaths. After some  delay,  the  clipper  ship  Northern  Light  was sent by  Mr  Vandewater,  agent  for  the  company  at San  Francisco,  to  their  relief. Stockton made  a movement  in  their  aid,  and  Mayor  Harris  of  San Francisco called  a  meetino;  on  the  29th  of  March — rather late,  one  would  think,  but  better  than  never — to devise  measures  to  render  them  assistance. Many were inclined  to  censure  the  company  for  their  dila- toriness in  despatching  them  conveyance  to  San  Fran- cisco. One hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  it was  stated,  had  been  paid  by  the  North  America's  pas- sengers; through no  fault  of  theirs,  they  had  been thrown on  a  foreign  and  unhealthy  shore,  and  now the company  were  loth  to  spend  a  few  thousand  dol- lars to save  their  lives.

Next day  we  were  at  sea  again,  carrying  with  us, as it  would  seem,  half  the  inhabitants  of  the  ocean. Myriads of  flying-fish  skim  over  the  smooth  sea,  flash- ing their silver  tinted  wings  as  they  skip  from  wave to wave,  or  break  cover  and  fly  away. Sharks dart by, leaving,  if  it  be  night,  a  phosphorescent  wake, broken and  luminous  like  fiery  serpents;  porpoises and dolphins  leap  and  gallop  along,  and  play  about the ship,  followmg  in  its  wake,  or  trying  the  metal