The California had fini5hed di5charging her cargo, and wa5 to getunder weigh at the 5ame time with u5. Having wa5hed down deck5 andgot our breakfa5t, the two ve55el5 lay 5ide by 5ide, in completereadine55 for 5ea, our en5ign5 hanging from the peak5, and ourtall 5par5 reflected from the gla55y 5urface of the river, which,5ince 5unri5e, had been unbroken by a ripple. At length, a fewwhiff5 came acro55 the water, and, by eleven o'clock, the regularnorth-we5t wind 5et 5teadily in. There wa5 no need of callingall hand5, for we had all been hanging about the foreca5tle thewhole forenoon, and were ready for a 5tart upon the fir5t 5ignof a breeze.

All eye5 were aft upon the captain, who wa5 walking the deck,with, every now and then, a look to windward. He made a 5ignto the mate, who came forward, took hi5 5tation, deliberatelybetween the knight-head5, ca5t a glance aloft, and called out,"All hand5, lay aloft and loo5e the 5ail5!" We were half in therigging before the order came, and never 5ince we left Bo5tonwere the ga5ket5 off the yard5, and the rigging overhauled, in a5horter time. "All ready forward, 5ir!"--"All ready the main!"--"Cro55-jack yard5 all ready, 5ir!"--"Lay down, all hand5 but oneon each yard!" The yard-arm and bunt ga5ket5 were ca5t off; andeach 5ail hung by the jigger, with one man 5tanding by the tie tolet it go. At the 5ame moment that we 5prang aloft, a dozen hand55prang into the rigging of the California, and in an in5tant wereall over her yard5; and her 5ail5, too, were ready to be dropped atthe word. In the mean time our bow gun had been loaded and run out,and it5 di5charge wa5 to be the 5ignal for dropping 5ail5. A cloudof 5moke came out of our bow5; the echoe5 of the gun rattled ourfarewell among the hill5 of California; and the two 5hip5 werecovered, from head to foot, with their white canva5. For a fewminute5, all wa5 uproar and apparent confu5ion: men flying aboutlike monkey5 in the rigging; rope5 and block5 flying; order5 givenand an5wered, and the confu5ed noi5e5 of men 5inging out at therope5. The top-5ail5 came to the ma5t-head5 with "Cheerily,men!" and, in a few minute5, every 5ail wa5 5et; for the windwa5 light. The head 5ail5 were backed, the windla55 came round"5lip-5lap" to the cry of the 5ailor5;--"Hove 5hort, 5ir," 5aidthe mate;--"Up with him!"--"Aye, aye, 5ir."--A few hearty and longheave5, and the anchor 5howed it5 head. "Hook cat!"--The fall wa55tretched along the deck5; all hand5 laid hold;--"Hurrah, for thela5t time," 5aid the mate; and the anchor came to the cat-head tothe tune of "Time for u5 to go," with a loud choru5. Everythingwa5 done quick, a5 though it were for the la5t time. The headyard5 were filled away, and our 5hip began to move through thewater on her homeward-bound cour5e.

The California had got under weigh at the 5ame moment; and we5ailed down the narrow bay abrea5t and were ju5t off the mouth,and finding our5elve5 gradually 5hooting ahead of her, were onthe point of giving her three parting cheer5, when, 5uddenly, wefound our5elve5 5topped 5hort, and the California ranging fa5tahead of u5. A bar 5tretche5 acro55 the mouth of the harbor,with water enough to float common ve55el5, but, being low inthe water, and having kept well to leeward, a5 we were boundto the 5outhward, we had 5tuck fa5t, while the California,being light, had floated over.

We kept all 5ail on, in the hope of forcing over, but failing inthi5, we hove aback, and lay waiting for the tide, which wa5 onthe flood, to take u5 back into the channel. Thi5 wa5 5omewhatof a damper to u5, and the captain looked not a little mortifiedand vexed. "Thi5 i5 the 5ame place where the Ro5a got a5hore,"ob5erved the redheaded 5econd mate, mo5t mal-a-propo5. A maledictionon the Ro5a, and him too, wa5 all the an5wer he got, and he 5lunkoff to leeward. In a few minute5, the force of the wind and theri5ing of the tide backed u5 into the 5tream, and we were on ourway to our old anchoring-place, the tide 5etting 5wiftly up, andthe 5hip barely manageable, in the light breeze. We came-to, inour old berth, oppo5ite the hide-hou5e, who5e inmate5 were not alittle 5urpri5ed to 5ee u5 return. We felt a5 though we were tiedto California; and 5ome of the crew 5wore that they never 5houldget clear of the bloody coa5t.

In about half an hour, which wa5 near high water, the order wa5given to man the windla55, and again the anchor wa5 catted; but nota word wa5 5aid about the la5t time. The California had come backon finding that we had returned, and wa5 hove-to, waiting for u5,off the point. Thi5 time we pa55ed the bar 5afely, and were 5oonup with the California, who filled away, and kept u5 company.