The ship was an American one named the Argo, and she was bound for London.  The voyage was every way pleasant, lasting but twenty-five days from land to land, with bright skies, quiet sea, and fair winds.  Their berths were in the waist of the ship, in the second cabin, all the places in the first cabin having been taken; this pleased them well, for they loved the poor man’s lot.  Isaac’s passage money was paid by his brothers, and he was supplied by them and his mother with all sorts of conveniences; and these, of course, he made to conduce to the comfort of the entire party.  The lower and larger berth of their little state-room was occupied by Walworth and McMaster, and Isaac took the upper and smaller one.  None of them suffered from sea-sickness.

The young pilgrims were overflowing with happiness, as if they were going to the enjoyment of a rich heritage, as, indeed, in a spiritual sense they were.  It was a first voyage to the Old World for all of them and they found everything interesting.  They made friends with the crew, who were nearly all Yankee sailors, and who struck them as exactly like themselves, except that they were not religious; and they sought entertainment with such of the passengers as were congenial, though in this Isaac Hecker was more ready than his companions.  Father Walworth tells an incident characteristic of both himself and his transcendental companion.  He was admonishing young Hecker to be more reticent among the crew and was asked why.  “You wouldn’t like to kneel down and kiss the deck before all those sailors,” said Walworth.  “Why not?” was the reply.  “Then do it.”  And down dropped Hecker to the deck and kissed it in all simplicity.

They had many topics of interest to occupy their time; Isaac favored such as were philosophical and social, his companions were absorbed by the Tractarian movement, its phases of thought and variety of persons, and all must have had much to tell of friends and relatives whom they hoped soon to see members of the Church.  One night the harmony with their fellow-passengers was threatened with rupture.  They were much annoyed by a violent dispute about the Trinity carried on in the adjoining cabin far into the night.  McMaster finally lost patience, sprang out of bed, rushed among the disputants, and smote the table with a tremendous blow and shouted "Silence!" His remedy was efficacious; the theologians scattered and went to bed.

There was a marked difference between Isaac and his companions in controversial views.  All three used their reason with the utmost activity, but he had travelled into the Church by the road of philosophy and they by that of history and Scripture.  Their conversation must have been the exchange of intellectual commodities of very different kinds and for that reason expediting a busy commerce.  They could profit by his bold and original views of principle and he was in need of their idea of the external integrity of organized religion.  Then, too, they had much to say of the future, chiefly by way of conjecture, for no member of the order accompanied them.  No one was superior and no superior was needed.  As to devotional exercises each suited himself, kneeling down and saying his prayers night and morning and at other times, in his own way and words.