I never sailed on a more active ship than the Wright.  In ordinary seas, walking was a matter of difficulty, and when the wind freshened to a gale locomotion ceased to be a pastime.  Frequently I wedged myself into my berth with books and cigar boxes.  On the first day out, my dog (for I traveled with a dog) was utterly bewildered, and evidently thought himself where he did not belong.  After falling a dozen times upon his side, he succeeded in learning to keep his feet.  The carpenter gave him a box for a sleeping room, but the space was so large that, his body did not fill it.  On the second day from port he took the bit of carpet that formed his bed and used it as a wedge to keep him in position.  From, that time he had no trouble, though he was not fairly on his sea legs for nearly a week.

Sometimes at dinner our soup poured into our laps and seemed engaged in reconstructing the laws of gravitation.  The table furniture was very uneasy, and it was no uncommon occurrence for a tea cup or a tumbler to jump from its proper place and turn a somersault before stopping.  We had no severe storm on the voyage, though constantly in expectation of one.

In 1865 the Wright experienced heavy gales with little interruption for twelve days.  She lost her chimney with part of her sails, and lay for sixteen hours in the trough of the sea.  The waves broke over her without hindrance and drenched every part of the ship.  Covert gave an amusing account of the breaking of a box of soap one night during the storm.  In the morning the cabin, with all it contained, was thoroughly lathered, as if preparing for a colossal shave.

Half way across the ocean we were followed by sea-birds that, curiously enough, were always thickest at meal times.  Gulls kept with us the first two days and then disappeared, their places being taken by boobies.  The gull is a pretty and graceful bird, somewhat resembling the pigeon in shape and agility.  The booby has a little resemblance to the duck, but his bill is sharp pointed and curved like a hawk’s.  Beechey and one or two others speak of encountering the Albatross in the North Pacific, but their statements are disputed by mariners of the present day.  The Albatross is peculiar to the south as the gull to the north.  Gulls and boobies dart into the water when any thing is thrown overboard, and show great dexterity in catching whatever is edible.  At night they are said to sleep on the waves, and occasionally we disturbed them at their rest.

[Illustration:  Steamship Wright in A storm.]

[Illustration:  A sea-sick booby.]

One day we caught a booby by means of a hook and line, and found him unable to fly from the deck.  It is said that nearly all sea-birds can rise only from the water.  We detained our prize long enough to attach a medal to his neck and send him away with our date, location, and name.  If kept an hour or more on the deck of a ship these birds become seasick, and manifest their illness just as an able-bodied landsman, exhibits an attack of marine malady.  Strange they should be so affected when they are all their lives riding over the tossing waves.