then not bring it up till an officer had called him twice, and take as much time to put things in order again.  Marline-spikes were not to be found; knives wanted a prodigious deal of sharpening, and, generally, three or four were waiting round the grindstone at a time.  When a man got to the mast-head, he would come slowly down again for something he had left; and after the tackles were got up, six men would pull less than three who pulled ``with a will.’’ When the mate was out of sight, nothing was done.  It was all up-hill work; and at eight o’clock, when we went to breakfast, things were nearly where they were when we began.

During our short meal the matter was discussed.  One proposed refusing to work; but that was mutiny, and of course was rejected at once.  I remember, too, that one of the men quoted ``Father Taylor’’ (as they call the seamen’s preacher at Boston), who told them that, if they were ordered to work on Sunday, they must not refuse their duty, and the blame would not come upon them.  After breakfast, it leaked out, through the officers, that, if we would get through work soon, we might have a boat in the afternoon and go a-fishing.  This bait was well thrown, and took with several who were fond of fishing; and all began to find that as we had one thing to do, and were not to be kept at work for the day, the sooner we did it the better.  Accordingly, things took a new aspect; and before two o’clock, this work, which was in a fair way to last two days, was done; and five of us went a-fishing in the jolly-boat, in the direction of Point Pinos; but leave to go ashore was refused.  Here we saw the Loriotte, which sailed with us from Santa Barbara, coming slowly in with a light sea-breeze, which sets in towards afternoon, having been becalmed off the point all the first part of the day.  We took several fish of various kinds, among which cod and perch abounded, and Foster (the ci-devant second mate), who was of our number, brought up with his hook a large and beautiful pearl-oyster shell.  We afterwards learned that this place was celebrated for shells, and that a small schooner had made a good voyage by carrying a cargo of them to the United States.

We returned by sundown, and found the Loriotte at anchor within a cable’s length of the Pilgrim.  The next day we were ``turned-to’’ early, and began taking off the hatches, overhauling the cargo, and getting everything ready for inspection.  At eight, the officers of the customs, five in number, came on board, and began examining the cargo, manifest, &c.  The Mexican revenue laws are very strict, and require the whole cargo to be landed, examined, and taken on board again; but our agent had succeeded in compounding for the last two vessels, and saving the trouble of taking the cargo ashore.  The officers were dressed in the costume which we found prevailed through the country,—­ broad-brimmed hat, usually of a black or dark brown color, with a gilt or figured band round the crown, and lined under the