guardian of the harbor of Monterey. Gradually the steamer turned in;
another harbor opened, with a cluster of white, red-roofed houses
behind it, at the foot of the hills. Sweeping in past the pine-ridged
point the _California_, with boom of gun, dropped anchor in the
historic bay of Monterey.

The captain and Lieutenant Sherman, and any passengers who wished, went
ashore here, for the _California_ was to take on wood for fuel to San
Francisco.

Monterey had long been the capital of Upper California, and was the
first place captured by the United States, in July, 1846, after war
with Mexico was begun. Mr. Grigsby knew it well, for hither he had
marched from the north with Fremont's battalion of Volunteer Riflemen.
It was a pleasant old town, of white-washed, tile-roofed clay
buildings, a custom-house at the wharf, a large, yellow town hall, and
an army post on the bluff overlooking town and bay. The town sloped to
the low surf of the wave-flecked bay encircled by cliffs and bluffs.
Beyond the town rose higher hills, well timbered with oaks and pines.

"The flag was raised July 7, Forty-six, over this custom-house," stated
Mr. Grigsby. "Commodore Sloat sent ashore 250 men from the flag-ship
_Savannah_, and the ships _Cyane_, _Warren_ and _Levant_, which he had
in the bay; and Lieutenant Edward Higgins did the raising, at ten in
the morning. Purser Rodney Price made the proclamation to the people."

"Where were you, then?" asked Charley.

"Oh, I was up north at Sutter's Fort, with Fremont and the rest,
waiting to get supplies--this shirt, among other things." For Mr.
Grigsby had donned his star-collar shirt, as if in honor of the
occasion. "We marched in later."

Monterey seemed to be a very quiet, sleepy old place. The majority of
the citizens were the native Californians, wearing their picturesque
costumes of slashed velvet trousers loose at the bottom and tight at
the knee, red sashes about their waists, silk shirts and short velvet
jackets, and peaked, wide-brimmed, tasseled felt hats. The morning air
was chilly, although the sun shone brightly. In front of many of the
stores and in the plaza or square little fires had been built, around
which the people were huddling, to get warm. Mr. Grigsby explained
that there wasn't a stove in town, probably, that everybody cooked in
small fireplaces, and that until the Americans came and introduced the
bonfire the natives were "too blamed lazy" to do more tha