One day I up and says:
"I'm going across the Isthmus. Who else?" and Sadler says, "One of
'em's me," and we all went, footing thirty miles the first day, and
slept among the rocks on a hillside.
The fourth day we went down the watershed to the town of Panama.
There we found a ship ready in port that was short of hands, and
shipped on her to go round the Horn. She was named the _Helen
Mar_.
* * * * *
Captain Buckingham paused to fill his pipe again, and Stevey Todd
said:
"'Intent to deceive and deception pursuant,' was my words, and I
never give in," and Uncle Abimelech piped up to a crazy tune:
"You can arguy here and arguy there,
But them that dangles in the air
They surely was mistook somewhere,
They ain't got good foundations."
"Aye," said Captain Buckingham thoughtfully. "It was so. I heard
Sadler tune that to his banjo the night we got to Colon. Abe's got
that kind of a memory, which is loose but gluey. It was so. Sadler
meant old man Clyde."
CHAPTER III.
THE HOTEL HELEN MAR. THE NARRATIVE CONTINUED.
Most ships trading round the Horn to the West Coast in those days
would take a charter on the Gulf Stream to clean them well, on
account of carrying guano.
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