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。