When I came to the harbour I found there were two ships in port
bound for California, and one by way of Panama. She was named the
_Jane Allen_.
The captain's name was Rickhart, a rough man, and the _Jane
Allen_ was an unclean boat, a brigantine, come from bad weather
around the Horn. I went aboard to look her over, and didn't like her.
I was making up my mind to go and see if the other mightn't be going
by Panama too. And then, coming through the forecastle, some one
spoke to me from a bunk and he says:
"When'd you drop in, Tommy?" and I stopped, and stared, and pretty
soon I made him out. It was Julius R. Craney.
He certainly was sick. He said he had shipped with Rickhart from New
York, to go to California and make his fortune, but thought now he
wouldn't live so far. He had the scurvy and was low in his mind, and
disappointed with fortune. I thought:
"If he took my money at Colon, he hasn't got it now." He was poor
enough then. I guessed we'd have to call that off, and I says:
"The _Jane Allen_ it is. I'll go see the Windwards and
Greenough."
Craney was a yellow-looking man at that time, and glad enough when I
told him I was going to bring him some fruit, and take passage to
Panama, and look after him.
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