第2章

Doyou——nowIaskyouasamanandabrother——doyouthinkIcouldventuretothrowarockhereinanygivendirectionwithouthittingacaptainofthisship？"

"Well，sir，Idon\'tknow——Ithinklikelyyou\'dfetchthecaptainofthewatchmaybe，becausehe\'sa—standingrightyonderintheway。"

Iwentbelow——meditatingandalittledownhearted。Ithought，iffivecookscanspoilabroth，whatmaynotfivecaptainsdowithapleasureexcursion？

Chapter4

Weplowedalongbravelyforaweekormore，andwithoutanyconflictofjurisdictionamongthecaptainsworthmentioning。Thepassengerssoonlearnedtoaccommodatethemselvestotheirnewcircumstances，andlifeintheshipbecamenearlyassystematicallymonotonousastheroutineofabarrack。Idonotmeanthatitwasdull，foritwasnotentirelysobyanymeans——buttherewasagooddealofsamenessaboutit。Asisalwaysthefashionatsea，thepassengersshortlybegantopickupsailorterms——asignthattheywerebeginningtofeelathome。Half—pastsixwasnolongerhalf—pastsixtothesepilgrimsfromNewEngland，theSouth，andtheMississippiValley，itwas"sevenbells";eight，twelve，andfouro\'clockwere"eightbells";thecaptaindidnottakethelongitudeatnineo\'clock，butat"twobells。"Theyspokegliblyofthe"aftercabin，"the"forrardcabin，"

"portandstarboard"andthe"fo\'castle。"

Atsevenbellsthefirstgongrang;ateighttherewasbreakfast，forsuchaswerenottooseasicktoeatit。Afterthatallthewellpeoplewalkedarminarmupanddownthelongpromenadedeck，enjoyingthefinesummermornings，andtheseasickonescrawledoutandproppedthemselvesupintheleeofthepaddleboxesandatetheirdismalteaandtoast，andlookedwretched。Fromeleveno\'clockuntilluncheon，andfromluncheonuntildinneratsixintheevening，theemploymentsandamusementswerevarious。Somereadingwasdone，andmuchsmokingandsewing，thoughnotbythesameparties;therewerethemonstersofthedeeptobelookedafterandwonderedat;strangeshipshadtobescrutinizedthroughoperaglasses，andsagedecisionsarrivedatconcerningthem;andmorethanthat，everybodytookapersonalinterestinseeingthattheflagwasrunupandpolitelydippedthreetimesinresponsetothesalutesofthosestrangers;inthesmokingroomtherewerealwayspartiesofgentlemenplayingeuchre，draughts，anddominoes，especiallydominoes，thatdelightfullyharmlessgame;anddownonthemaindeck，"forrard"——forrardofthechickencoopsandthecattle——wehadwhatwascalled"horsebilliards。"Horsebilliardsisafinegame。Itaffordsgood，activeexercise，hilarity，andconsumingexcitement。

Itisamixtureof"hopscotch"andshuffleboardplayedwithacrutch。A

largehopscotchdiagramismarkedoutonthedeckwithchalk，andeachcompartmentnumbered。Youstandoffthreeorfoursteps，withsomebroadwoodendisksbeforeyouonthedeck，andtheseyousendforwardwithavigorousthrustofalongcrutch。Ifadiskstopsonachalkline，itdoesnotcountanything。IfitstopsindivisionNo。7，itcounts7;in5，itcounts5，andsoon。Thegameis100，andfourcanplayatatime。Thatgamewouldbeverysimpleplayedonastationaryfloor，butwithus，toplayitwellrequiredscience。Wehadtoallowforthereelingoftheshiptotherightortheleft。Veryoftenonemadecalculationsforaheeltotherightandtheshipdidnotgothatway。Theconsequencewasthatthatdiskmissedthewholehopscotchplanayardortwo，andthentherewashumiliationononesideandlaughterontheother。

Whenitrainedthepassengershadtostayinthehouse，ofcourse——oratleastthecabins——andamusethemselveswithgames，reading，lookingoutofthewindowsattheveryfamiliarbillows，andtalkinggossip。

Byseveno\'clockintheevening，dinnerwasaboutover;anhour\'spromenadeontheupperdeckfollowed;thenthegongsoundedandalargemajorityofthepartyrepairedtotheaftercabin（upper），ahandsomesaloonfiftyorsixtyfeetlong，forprayers。Theunregeneratedcalledthissaloonthe"Synagogue。"ThedevotionsconsistedonlyoftwohymnsfromthePlymouthCollectionandashortprayer，andseldomoccupiedmorethanfifteenminutes。Thehymnswereaccompaniedbyparlor—organmusicwhentheseawassmoothenoughtoallowaperformertositattheinstrumentwithoutbeinglashedtohischair。

AfterprayerstheSynagogueshortlytookthesemblanceofawritingschool。Thelikeofthatpicturewasneverseeninashipbefore。Behindthelongdiningtablesoneithersideofthesaloon，andscatteredfromoneendtotheotherofthelatter，sometwentyorthirtygentlemenandladiessatthemdownundertheswayinglampsandfortwoorthreehourswrotediligentlyintheirjournals。Alasthatjournalssovoluminouslybegunshouldcometosolameandimpotentaconclusionasmostofthemdid！Idoubtifthereisasinglepilgrimofallthathostbutcanshowahundredfairpagesofjournalconcerningthefirsttwentydays\'voyagingintheQuakerCity，andIammorallycertainthatnottenofthepartycanshowtwentypagesofjournalforthesucceedingtwentythousandmilesofvoyaging！Atcertainperiodsitbecomesthedearestambitionofamantokeepafaithfulrecordofhisperformancesinabook;

andhedashesatthisworkwithanenthusiasmthatimposesonhimthenotionthatkeepingajournalistheveriestpastimeintheworld，andthepleasantest。

Butifheonlylivestwenty—onedays，hewillfindoutthatonlythoserarenaturesthataremadeupofpluck，endurance，devotiontodutyforduty\'ssake，andinvincibledeterminationmayhopetoventureuponsotremendousanenterpriseasthekeepingofajournalandnotsustainashamefuldefeat。

Oneofourfavoriteyouths，Jack，asplendidyoungfellowwithaheadfullofgoodsense，andapairoflegsthatwereawondertolookuponinthewayoflengthandstraightnessandslimness，usedtoreportprogresseverymorninginthemostglowingandspiritedway，andsay:

"Oh，I\'mcomingalongbully！"（Hewasalittlegiventoslanginhishappiermoods。）"Iwrotetenpagesinmyjournallastnight——andyouknowIwroteninethenightbeforeandtwelvethenightbeforethat。Why，it\'sonlyfun！"

"Whatdoyoufindtoputinit，Jack？"

"Oh，everything。Latitudeandlongitude，nooneveryday;andhowmanymileswemadelasttwenty—fourhours;andallthedominogamesIbeatandhorsebilliards;andwhalesandsharksandporpoises;andthetextofthesermonSundays（becausethat\'lltellathome，youknow）;andtheshipswesalutedandwhatnationtheywere;andwhichwaythewindwas，andwhethertherewasaheavysea，andwhatsailwecarried，thoughwedon\'tevercarryany，principally，goingagainstaheadwindalways——wonderwhatisthereasonofthat？——andhowmanyliesMoulthastold——oh，everything！I\'vegoteverythingdown。Myfathertoldmetokeepthatjournal。Fatherwouldn\'ttakeathousanddollarsforitwhenIgetitdone。"

"No，Jack;itwillbeworthmorethanathousanddollars——whenyougetitdone。"

"Doyou？No，butdoyouthinkitwill，though？"

"Yes，itwillbeworthatleastasmuchasathousanddollars——whenyougetitdone。Maybemore。"

"Well，Iabouthalfthinkso，myself。Itain\'tnoslouchofajournal。"

Butitshortlybecameamostlamentable"slouchofajournal。"OnenightinParis，afterahardday\'stoilinsightseeing，Isaid:

"NowI\'llgoandstrollaroundthecafésawhile，Jack，andgiveyouachancetowriteupyourjournal，oldfellow。"

Hiscountenancelostitsfire。Hesaid:

"Well，no，youneedn\'tmind。IthinkIwon\'trunthatjournalanymore。

Itisawfultedious。Doyouknow——IreckonI\'masmuchasfourthousandpagesbehindhand。Ihaven\'tgotanyFranceinitatall。FirstIthoughtI\'dleaveFranceoutandstartfresh。Butthatwouldn\'tdo，wouldit？

Thegovernorwouldsay，\'Hello，here——didn\'tseeanythinginFrance？Thatcatwouldn\'tfight，youknow。FirstIthoughtI\'dcopyFranceoutoftheguidebook，likeoldBadgerintheforrardcabin，who\'swritingabook，butthere\'smorethanthreehundredpagesofit。Oh，Idon\'tthinkajournal\'sanyuse———doyou？They\'reonlyabother，ain\'tthey？"

"Yes，ajournalthatisincompleteisn\'tofmuchuse，butajournalproperlykeptisworthathousanddollars——whenyou\'vegotitdone。"

"Athousand！——well，Ishouldthinkso。Iwouldn\'tfinishitforamillion。"

Hisexperiencewasonlytheexperienceofthemajorityofthatindustriousnightschoolinthecabin。Ifyouwishtoinflictaheartlessandmalignantpunishmentuponayoungperson，pledgehimtokeepajournalayear。

Agoodmanyexpedientswereresortedtotokeeptheexcursionistsamusedandsatisfied。Aclubwasformed，ofallthepassengers，whichmetinthewritingschoolafterprayersandreadaloudaboutthecountrieswewereapproachinganddiscussedtheinformationsoobtained。

Severaltimesthephotographeroftheexpeditionbroughtouthistransparentpicturesandgaveusahandsomemagic—lanternexhibition。Hisviewswerenearlyallofforeignscenes，buttherewereoneortwohomepicturesamongthem。Headvertisedthathewould"openhisperformanceintheaftercabinat\'twobells\'（nineP。M。）andshowthepassengerswheretheyshalleventuallyarrive"——whichwasallverywell，butbyafunnyaccidentthefirstpicturethatflamedoutuponthecanvaswasaviewofGreenwoodCemetery！

Onseveralstarlightnightswedancedontheupperdeck，undertheawnings，andmadesomethingofaballroomdisplayofbrilliancybyhanginganumberofship\'slanternstothestanchions。Ourmusicconsistedofthewell—mixedstrainsofamelodeonwhichwasalittleasthmaticandapttocatchitsbreathwhereitoughttocomeoutstrong，aclarinetwhichwasalittleunreliableonthehighkeysandrathermelancholyonthelowones，andadisreputableaccordionthathadaleaksomewhereandbreathedlouderthanitsquawked——amoreeleganttermdoesnotoccurtomejustnow。However，thedancingwasinfinitelyworsethanthemusic。Whentheshiprolledtostarboardthewholeplatoonofdancerscamechargingdowntostarboardwithit，andbroughtupinmassattherail;andwhenitrolledtoporttheywentflounderingdowntoportwiththesameunanimityofsentiment。

Waltzersspunaroundprecariouslyforamatteroffifteensecondsandthenwentscurryingdowntotherailasiftheymeanttogooverboard。TheVirginiareel，asperformedonboardtheQuakerCity，hadmoregenuinereelaboutitthananyreelIeversawbefore，andwasasfullofinteresttothespectatorasitwasfullofdesperatechancesandhairbreadthescapestotheparticipant。Wegaveupdancing，finally。

Wecelebratedalady\'sbirthdayanniversarywithtoasts，speeches，apoem，andsoforth。Wealsohadamocktrial。Noshipeverwenttoseathathadn\'tamocktrialonboard。ThepurserwasaccusedofstealinganovercoatfromstateroomNo。10。Ajudgewasappointed;alsoclerks，acrierofthecourt，constables，sheriffs;counselfortheStateandforthedefendant;

witnessesweresubpoenaed，andajuryempaneledaftermuchchallenging。

Thewitnesseswerestupidandunreliableandcontradictory，aswitnessesalwaysare。Thecounselwereeloquent，argumentative，andvindictivelyabusiveofeachother，aswascharacteristicandproper。Thecasewasatlastsubmittedanddulyfinishedbythejudgewithanabsurddecisionandaridiculoussentence。

Theactingofcharadeswastriedonseveraleveningsbytheyounggentlemenandladies，inthecabins，andprovedthemostdistinguishedsuccessofalltheamusementexperiments。

Anattemptwasmadetoorganizeadebatingclub，butitwasafailure。

Therewasnooratoricaltalentintheship。

Weallenjoyedourselves——IthinkIcansafelysaythat，butitwasinaratherquietway。Wevery，veryseldomplayedthepiano;weplayedthefluteandtheclarinettogether，andmadegoodmusic，too，whattherewasofit，butwealwaysplayedthesameoldtune;itwasaveryprettytune——howwellIrememberit——IwonderwhenIshallevergetridofit。

Weneverplayedeitherthemelodeonortheorganexceptatdevotions——butIamtoofast:youngAlbertdidknowpartofatunesomethingabout"OSomething—or—OtherHowSweetItIstoKnowThatHe\'sHisWhat\'s—His—Name"

（Idonotremembertheexacttitleofit，butitwasveryplaintiveandfullofsentiment）;Albertplayedthatprettymuchallthetimeuntilwecontractedwithhimtorestrainhimself。Butnobodyeversangbymoonlightontheupperdeck，andthecongregationalsingingatchurchandprayerswasnotofasuperiororderofarchitecture。IputupwithitaslongasIcouldandthenjoinedinandtriedtoimproveit，butthisencouragedyoungGeorgetojoinintoo，andthatmadeafailureofit;becauseGeorge\'svoicewasjust"turning，"andwhenhewassingingadismalsortofbassitwasapttoflyoffthehandleandstartleeverybodywithamostdiscordantcackleontheuppernotes。Georgedidn\'tknowthetunes，either，whichwasalsoadrawbacktohisperformances。Isaid:

"Come，now，George，don\'timprovise。Itlookstooegotistical。

Itwillprovokeremark。Juststickto\'Coronation，\'liketheothers。Itisagoodtune——youcan\'timproveitany，justoffhand，inthisway。"

"Why，I\'mnottryingtoimproveit——andIamsingingliketheothers——justasitisinthenotes。"

Andhehonestlythoughthewas，too;andsohehadnoonetoblamebuthimselfwhenhisvoicecaughtonthecenteroccasionallyandgavehimthelockjaw。

Therewerethoseamongtheunregeneratedwhoattributedtheunceasingheadwindstoourdistressingchoirmusic。Therewerethosewhosaidopenlythatitwastakingchancesenoughtohavesuchghastlymusicgoingon，evenwhenitwasatitsbest;andthattoexaggeratethecrimebylettingGeorgehelpwassimplyflyinginthefaceofProvidence。Thesesaidthatthechoirwouldkeepuptheirlaceratingattemptsatmelodyuntiltheywouldbringdownastormsomedaythatwouldsinktheship。

Therewereevengrumblersattheprayers。Theexecutiveofficersaidthepilgrimshadnocharity:

"Theretheyare，downthereeverynightat。eightbells，prayingforfairwinds——whentheyknowaswellasIdothatthisistheonlyshipgoingeastthistimeoftheyear，butthere\'sathousandcomingwest——what\'safairwindforusisaheadwindtothem——theAlmighty\'sblowingafairwindforathousandvessels，andthistribewantshimtoturnitcleararoundsoastoaccommodateone——andsheasteamshipatthat！

Itain\'tgoodsense，itain\'tgoodreason，itain\'tgoodChristianity，itain\'tcommonhumancharity。Avastwithsuchnonsense！"

Chapter5

Takingit"byandlarge，"asthesailorssay，wehadapleasanttendays\'runfromNewYorktotheAzoresislands——notafastrun，forthedistanceisonlytwenty—fourhundredmiles，butarightpleasantoneinthemain。True，wehadheadwindsallthetime，andseveralstormyexperienceswhichsentfiftypercentofthepassengerstobedsickandmadetheshiplookdismalanddeserted——stormyexperiencesthatallwillrememberwhoweatheredthemonthetumblingdeckandcaughtthevastsheetsofspraythateverynowandthenspranghighinairfromtheweatherbowandswepttheshiplikeathundershower;butforthemostpartwehadbalmysummerweatherandnightsthatwereevenfinerthanthedays。Wehadthephenomenonofafullmoonlocatedjustinthesamespotintheheavensatthesamehoureverynight。Thereasonofthissingularconductonthepartofthemoondidnotoccurtousatfirst，butitdidafterwardwhenwereflectedthatweweregainingabouttwentyminuteseverydaybecauseweweregoingeastsofast——wegainedjustaboutenougheverydaytokeepalongwiththemoon。Itwasbecominganoldmoontothefriendswehadleftbehindus，buttousJoshuasitstoodstillinthesameplaceandremainedalwaysthesame。

YoungMr。Blucher，whoisfromtheFarWestandisonhisfirstvoyage，wasagooddealworriedbytheconstantlychanging"shiptime。"Hewasproudofhisnewwatchatfirstandusedtodragitoutpromptlywheneightbellsstruckatnoon，buthecametolookafterawhileasifhewerelosingconfidenceinit。SevendaysoutfromNewYorkhecameondeckandsaidwithgreatdecision:

"Thisthing\'saswindle！"

"What\'saswindle？"

"Why，thiswatch。IboughtheroutinIllinois——gave$150forher——andIthoughtshewasgood。And，byGeorge，sheisgoodonshore，butsomehowshedon\'tkeepupherlickhereonthewater——getsseasickmaybe。

Sheskips;sherunsalongregularenoughtillhalf—pasteleven，andthen，allofasudden，sheletsdown。I\'vesetthatoldregulatorupfasterandfaster，tillI\'veshoveditcleararound，butitdon\'tdoanygood;shejustdistanceseverywatchintheship，andclattersalonginawaythat\'sastonishingtillitisnoon，butthemeightbellsalwaysgetsinabouttenminutesaheadofheranyway。Idon\'tknowwhattodowithhernow。

She\'sdoingallshecan——she\'sgoingherbestgait，butitwon\'tsaveher。

Now，don\'tyouknow，thereain\'tawatchintheshipthat\'smakingbettertimethansheis，butwhatdoesitsignify？Whenyouhearthemeightbellsyou\'llfindherjustabouttenminutesshortofherscoresure。"

Theshipwasgainingafullhoureverythreedays，andthisfellowwastryingtomakehiswatchgofastenoughtokeepuptoher。But，ashehadsaid，hehadpushedtheregulatorupasfarasitwouldgo，andthewatchwas"onitsbestgait，"andsonothingwaslefthimbuttofoldhishandsandseetheshipbeattherace。Wesenthimtothecaptain，andheexplainedtohimthemysteryof"shiptime"andsethistroubledmindatrest。Thisyoungmanaskedagreatmanyquestionsaboutseasicknessbeforeweleft，andwantedtoknowwhatitscharacteristicswereandhowhewastotellwhenhehadit。Hefoundout。

Wesawtheusualsharks，blackfish，porpoises，etc。，ofcourse，andbyandbylargeschoolsofPortuguesemen—of—warwereaddedtotheregularlistofseawonders。Someofthemwerewhiteandsomeofabrilliantcarminecolor。Thenautilusisnothingbutatransparentwebofjellythatspreadsitselftocatchthewind，andhasfleshy—lookingstringsafootortwolongdanglingfromittokeepitsteadyinthewater。Itisanaccomplishedsailorandhasgoodsailorjudgment。Itreefsitssailwhenastormthreatensorthewindblowsprettyhard，andfurlsitentirelyandgoesdownwhenagaleblows。Ordinarilyitkeepsitssailwetandingoodsailingorderbyturningoveranddippingitinthewaterforamoment。Seamensaythenautilusisonlyfoundinthesewatersbetweenthethirty—fifthandforty—fifthparallelsoflatitude。

Atthreeo\'clockonthemorningofthetwenty—firstofJune，wewereawakenedandnotifiedthattheAzoresislandswereinsight。IsaidIdidnottakeanyinterestinislandsatthreeo\'clockinthemorning。Butanotherpersecutorcame，andthenanotherandanother，andfinallybelievingthatthegeneralenthusiasmwouldpermitnoonetoslumberinpeace，Igotupandwentsleepilyondeck。Itwasfiveandahalfo\'clocknow，andaraw，blusteringmorning。Thepassengerswerehuddledaboutthesmokestacksandfortifiedbehindventilators，andallwerewrappedinwintrycostumesandlookingsleepyandunhappyinthepitilessgaleandthedrenchingspray。

TheislandinsightwasFlores。Itseemedonlyamountainofmudstandingupoutofthedullmistsofthesea。Butasweboredownuponitthesuncameoutandmadeitabeautifulpicture——amassofgreenfarmsandmeadowsthatswelleduptoaheightoffifteenhundredfeetandmingleditsupperoutlineswiththeclouds。Itwasribbedwithsharp，steepridgesandclovenwithnarrowcanyons，andhereandthereontheheights，rockyupheavalsshapedthemselvesintomimicbattlementsandcastles;andoutofriftedcloudscamebroadshaftsofsunlightthatpaintedsummitandslopeandglenwithbandsoffireandleftbeltsofsombershadebetween。Itwastheauroraborealisofthefrozenpoleexiledtoasummerland！

Weskirtedaroundtwo—thirdsoftheisland，fourmilesfromshore，andalltheoperaglassesintheshipwerecalledintorequisitiontosettledisputesastowhethermossyspotsontheuplandsweregrovesoftreesorgrovesofweeds，orwhetherthewhitevillagesdownbytheseawerereallyvillagesoronlytheclusteringtombstonesofcemeteries。FinallywestoodtoseaandboreawayforSanMiguel，andFloresshortlybecameadomeofmudagainandsankdownamongthemists，anddisappeared。Buttomanyaseasickpassengeritwasgoodtoseethegreenhillsagain，andallweremorecheerfulafterthisepisodethananybodycouldhaveexpectedthemtobe，consideringhowsinfullyearlytheyhadgottenup。

ButwehadtochangeourpurposeaboutSanMiguel，forastormcameupaboutnoonthatsotossedandpitchedthevesselthatcommonsensedictatedarunforshelter。Thereforewesteeredforthenearestislandofthegroup——Fayal（thepeopletherepronounceitFy—all，andputtheaccentonthefirstsyllable）。WeanchoredintheopenroadsteadofHorta，halfamilefromtheshore。Thetownhaseightthousandtotenthousandinhabitants。Itssnow—whitehousesnestlecosilyinaseaoffreshgreenvegetation，andnovillagecouldlookprettierormoreattractive。Itsitsinthelapofanamphitheaterofhillswhicharethreehundredtosevenhundredfeethigh，andcarefullycultivatedcleartotheirsummits——notafootofsoilleftidle。Everyfarmandeveryacreiscutupintolittlesquareenclosuresbystonewalls，whosedutyitistoprotectthegrowingproductsfromthedestructivegalesthatblowthere。Thesehundredsofgreensquares，markedbytheirblacklavawalls，makethehillslooklikevastcheckerboards。

TheislandsbelongtoPortugal，andeverythinginFayalhasPortuguesecharacteristicsaboutit。Butmoreofthatanon。Aswarmofswarthy，noisy，lying，shoulder—shrugging，gesticulatingPortugueseboatmen，withbrassringsintheirearsandfraudintheirhearts，climbedtheship\'ssides，andvariouspartiesofuscontractedwiththemtotakeusashoreatsomuchahead，silvercoinofanycountry。Welandedunderthewallsofalittlefort，armedwithbatteriesoftwelve—andthirty—two—pounders，whichHortaconsideredamostformidableinstitution，butifwewereevertogetafteritwithoneofourturretedmonitors，theywouldhavetomoveitoutinthecountryiftheywanteditwheretheycouldgoandfinditagainwhentheyneededit。Thegrouponthepierwasarustyone——menandwomen，andboysandgirls，allraggedandbarefoot，uncombedandunclean，andbyinstinct，education，andprofessionbeggars。Theytroopedafterus，andnevermorewhilewetarriedinFayaldidwegetridofthem。Wewalkedupthemiddleoftheprincipalstreet，andtheseverminsurroundedusonallsidesandglareduponus;andeverymomentexcitedcouplesshotaheadoftheprocessiontogetagoodlookback，justasvillageboysdowhentheyaccompanytheelephantonhisadvertisingtripfromstreettostreet。Itwasveryflatteringtometobepartofthematerialforsuchasensation。HereandthereinthedoorwayswesawwomenwithfashionablePortuguesehoodson。Thishoodisofthickbluecloth，attachedtoacloakofthesamestuff，andisamarvelofugliness。Itstandsuphighandspreadsfarabroad，andisunfathomablydeep。Itfitslikeacircustent，andawoman\'sheadishiddenawayinitliketheman\'swhopromptsthesingersfromhistinshedinthestageofanopera。Thereisnoparticleoftrimmingaboutthismonstrouscapote，astheycallit——itisjustaplain，uglydead—bluemassofsail，andawomancan\'tgowithineightpointsofthewindwithoneofthemon;shehastogobeforethewindornotatall。

Thegeneralstyleofthecapoteisthesameinalltheislands，andwillremainsoforthenexttenthousandyears，buteachislandshapesitscapotesjustenoughdifferentlyfromtheotherstoenableanobservertotellataglancewhatparticularislandaladyhailsfrom。

ThePortuguesepennies，orreis（pronouncedrays），areprodigious。Ittakesonethousandreistomakeadollar，andallfinancialestimatesaremadeinreis。WedidnotknowthisuntilafterwehadfounditoutthroughBlucher。Bluchersaidhewassohappyandsogratefultobeonsolidlandoncemorethathewantedtogiveafeast——saidhehadhearditwasacheapland，andhewasboundtohaveagrandbanquet。Heinvitednineofus，andweateanexcellentdinnerattheprincipalhotel。Inthemidstofthejollityproducedbygoodcigars，goodwine，andpassableanecdotes，thelandlordpresentedhisbill。Blucherglancedatitandhiscountenancefell。Hetookanotherlooktoassurehimselfthathissenseshadnotdeceivedhimandthenreadtheitemsaloud，inafalteringvoice，whiletherosesinhischeeksturnedtoashes:

"\'Tendinners，at600reis，6，000reis！\'Ruinanddesolation！

"\'Twenty—fivecigars，at100reis，2，500reis！\'Oh，mysaintedmother！

"\'Elevenbottlesofwine，at1，200reis，13，200reis！\'Bewithusall！

"\'TOTAL，TWENTY—ONETHOUSANDSEVENHUNDREDREIS！\'ThesufferingMoses！

Thereain\'tmoneyenoughintheshiptopaythatbill！Go——leavemetomymisery，boys，Iamaruinedcommunity。"

Ithinkitwastheblankest—lookingpartyIeversaw。Nobodycouldsayaword。Itwasasifeverysoulhadbeenstrickendumb。Wineglassesdescendedslowlytothetable，theircontentsuntasted。Cigarsdroppedunnoticedfromnervelessfingers。Eachmansoughthisneighbor\'seye，butfoundinitnorayofhope，noencouragement。Atlastthefearfulsilencewasbroken。

TheshadowofadesperateresolvesettleduponBlucher\'scountenancelikeacloud，andheroseupandsaid:

"Landlord，thisisalow，meanswindle，andI\'llnever，neverstandit。Here\'sahundredandfiftydollars，Sir，andit\'sallyou\'llget——I\'llswiminbloodbeforeI\'llpayacentmore。"

Ourspiritsroseandthelandlord\'sfell——atleastwethoughtso;hewasconfused，atanyrate，notwithstandinghehadnotunderstoodawordthathadbeensaid。HeglancedfromthelittlepileofgoldpiecestoBlucherseveraltimesandthenwentout。HemusthavevisitedanAmerican，forwhenhereturned，hebroughtbackhisbilltranslatedintoalanguagethataChristiancouldunderstand——thus:10dinners，6，000reis，or$6。00

25cigars，2，500reis，or2。50

11bottleswine，13，200reis，or13。20Total21，700reis，or$21。70HappinessreignedoncemoreinBlucher\'sdinnerparty。Morerefreshmentswereordered。

Chapter6

IthinktheAzoresmustbeverylittleknowninAmerica。Outofourwholeship\'scompanytherewasnotasolitaryindividualwhoknewanythingwhateveraboutthem。Someoftheparty，wellreadconcerningmostotherlands，hadnootherinformationabouttheAzoresthanthattheywereagroupofnineortensmallislandsfaroutintheAtlantic，somethingmorethanhalfwaybetweenNewYorkandGibraltar。Thatwasall。Theseconsiderationsmovemetoputinaparagraphofdryfactsjusthere。

ThecommunityiseminentlyPortuguese——thatistosay，itisslow，poor，shiftless，sleepy，andlazy。Thereisacivilgovernor，appointedbytheKingofPortugal，andalsoamilitarygovernor，whocanassumesupremecontrolandsuspendthecivilgovernmentathispleasure。Theislandscontainapopulationofabout200，000，almostentirelyPortuguese。Everythingisstaidandsettled，forthecountrywasonehundredyearsoldwhenColumbusdiscoveredAmerica。Theprincipalcropiscorn，andtheyraiseitandgrinditjustastheirgreat—great—great—grandfathersdid。Theyplowwithaboardslightlyshodwithiron;theirtriflinglittleharrowsaredrawnbymenandwomen;smallwindmillsgrindthecorn，tenbushelsaday，andthereisoneassistantsuperintendenttofeedthemillandageneralsuperintendenttostandbyandkeephimfromgoingtosleep。Whenthewindchangestheyhitchonsomedonkeysandactuallyturnthewholeupperhalfofthemillarounduntilthesailsareinproperposition，insteadoffixingtheconcernsothatthesailscouldbemovedinsteadofthemill。Oxentreadthewheatfromtheear，afterthefashionprevalentinthetimeofMethuselah。Thereisnotawheelbarrowintheland——theycarryeverythingontheirheads，orondonkeys，orinawicker—bodiedcart，whosewheelsaresolidblocksofwoodandwhoseaxlesturnwiththewheel。Thereisnotamodernplowintheislandsorathreshingmachine。Allattemptstointroducethemhavefailed。ThegoodCatholicPortuguesecrossedhimselfandprayedGodtoshieldhimfromallblasphemousdesiretoknowmorethanhisfatherdidbeforehim。Theclimateismild;theyneverhavesnoworice，andIsawnochimneysinthetown。Thedonkeysandthemen，women，andchildrenofafamilyalleatandsleepinthesameroom，andareunclean，areravagedbyvermin，andaretrulyhappy。Thepeoplelie，andcheatthestranger，andaredesperatelyignorant，andhavehardlyanyreverencefortheirdead。