y Mantas, and Speculations upon uses and abuses.--Youthful Lumps
of Gold, and Attachment to their Uncles. 433

CHAPTER LIV.

Cathedral.--Viceroy's Palace.--Plaza.--General
Castilla.--Museum.--Antiquities.--Portraits of
Pizarro.--Opera.--The Scene not in the Play. 439

CHAPTER LV.

Valparaiso Again.--El Dorado.--Rides.--The Yorkshire Dame at the
Post House.--Pic-Nics.--Our Lovely Country-Women.--The
Terraces.--Monte Allegro. 445

CHAPTER LVI.

Homeward Bound, and the Cruise is over. 452

CHAPTER I.

It was on the last day of summer, 1846, that a large vessel of war lay
in the stream of Boston Harbor; presently a dirty little steam tug, all
bone and muscle, came burroughing alongside. The boatswain and his mates
whistled with their silver pipes, like Canary birds, and the cry went
forth, to heave up the anchor. Soon the ponderous grapnell was loosened
from its hold, and our pigmy companion clasping the huge hull in his
hempen arms, bore us away towards the ocean; by and by, the unbleached
canvas fell in gloomy clouds from the wide-spread spars--the sails
swelled to the breeze--friends were tumbling over the side--light jokes
were made--hats waved--cheers given, whether from the heart, or not, was
a problem, and then there came a short interval in the hoarse roar of
steam, as the pigmy's fastenings splashed in the water--then all was
silent; and the stately ship, dashing the salt tears from her eyes,
turned her prow, in sadness, from her native land.

There were many, no doubt, of those six hundred souls on board, who
leaving home with the sweet endearments of domestic life fresh upon
them, were looking forward with blanched cheeks and saddened hearts, to
years of distant wanderings. And there were others, too, equally
indifferent, and regardless of the future--

"With one foot on land, and one on sea,
--To one thing constant never,"

who, perhaps, never had a home--tired of the shore--were eager for
change or excitement; but I question much, if there was one on board, of
all those beating hearts, who did not anticipate a safe and joyful
return. Alas! how many of these fragile aspirations were never realized.
Numbers found a liquid tomb beneath the dark blue waves, or died a
sailor's death in foreign climes, far away from friends and kindred, or
returned with broken