Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/232

 ing the

chafing main  beats  down  its  wild  roaring  breakers, holds the  crushed  waves  in  fierce  embrace  while  yet other howling  gusts  sweep  over  them,  then  relaxing, stirs up  the  levelled  surface,  smites  the  struggling streams into  dust,  and  breaks  the  liberated  waves  into frag:;ments swirled  off  in  suro^e-flakes  into  the  leaden air.

As I  have  before  remarked,  the  petty  annoyances of travel  try  temper  and  discover  the  varying  play  of litj:ht  and  shade  in  character. Now a  storm  at  sea tries men's  souls,  and  discovers  to  each  the  measure of his  manhood,  of  his  faith,  of  his  courage  and  cal- lousness; discovers to  him  the  realities  of  his  religion, if he  has  any,  the  poverty  of  his  hopes  if  he  has  none. And like  all  phenomena  throughout  the  realm  of  na- ture, there are  no  two  human  characters  alike,  and  no two  manifestations  exactly  similar  under  the  influence of fear. In this  instance,  throughout  the  night,  and during the  greater  part  of  the  day,  some  slept  and snored on,  others  lay  awake  in  their  berths,  mute, and apparently  indifferent,  others,  greatly  frightened, clutched their  beds  and  groaned. Some, throwing themselves upon  their  knees,  poured  forth  petitions to unseen  powers,  now  in  dismal  howls  and  now  in intelligible  prayer ;  others  were  so  smitten  with  cow- ard fear, so  hopeless  and  helpless,  as  scarcely  to  know what they  did,  and  mingling  incoherent  oaths  and  ex- clamations with their  pitiful  cries,  they  looked  at  each other and  shuddered,  clasped  hands  convulsively,  gazed beseechingly upon  the  merciless  ocean,  and  let  fly  their thoughts back  to  the  home  they  had  left  and  forward to the  California  their  hopes  had  aspired  to,  and  which now seemed  a  million  of  leagues  away.

Not only  did  the  storm  severely  tax  the  strength of the  ship,  but  it  made  such  inroads  upon  the  scanty fuel that  there  was  grreat  dangler  of  our  beingf  left exposed powerless  to  the  fury  of  the  waves. Our captain therefore  about  noon  this  day,  which  was  the 28th   of  Marchj  came   to   anchor   under  the  l