all animation.  The Catalina had several Kanakas on board, who were immediately laid hold of by the others, and carried up to the oven, where they had a long pow-wow and a smoke.  Two Frenchmen, who belonged to the Rosa’s crew, came in every evening to see Nicholas; and from them we learned that the Pilgrim was at San Pedro, and was the only vessel from the United States now on the coast.  Several of the Italians slept on shore at their hide-house; and there, and at the tent in which the Fazio’s crew lived, we had some singing almost every evening.  The Italians sang a variety of songs,—­ barcarollas, provincial airs, &c.; in several of which I recognized parts of our favorite operas and sentimental songs.  They often joined in a song, taking the different parts, which produced a fine effect, as many of them had good voices, and all sang with spirit.  One young man, in particular, had a falsetto as clear as a clarionet.

The greater part of the crews of the vessels came ashore every evening, and we passed the time in going about from one house to another, and listening to all manner of languages.  The Spanish was the common ground upon which we all met; for every one knew more or less of that.  We had now, out of forty or fifty, representatives from almost every nation under the sun,—­ two Englishmen, three Yankees, two Scotchmen, two Welshmen, one Irishman, three Frenchmen (two of whom were Normans, and the third from Gascony), one Dutchman, one Austrian, two or three Spaniards (from old Spain), half a dozen Spanish-Americans and half-breeds, two native Indians from Chili and the Island of Chiloe, one negro, one mulatto, about twenty Italians, from all parts of Italy, as many more Sandwich-Islanders, one Tahitian, and one Kanaka from the Marquesas Islands.

The night before the vessels were ready to sail, all the Europeans united and had an entertainment at the Rosa’s hide-house, and we had songs of every nation and tongue.  A German gave us ``Ach! mein lieber Augustin!’’ the three Frenchmen roared through the Marseilles Hymn; the English and Scotchmen gave us ``Rule Britannia,’’ and ``Wha’ll be King but Charlie?’’ the Italians and Spaniards screamed through some national affairs, for which I was none the wiser; and we three Yankees made an attempt at the ``Star-spangled Banner.’’ After these national tributes had been paid, the Austrian gave us a pretty little love-song, and the Frenchmen sang a spirited thing,—­ ``Sentinelle!  O prenez garde a vous!’’—­ and then followed the melange which might have been expected.  When I left them, the aguardiente and annisou were pretty well in their heads, they were all singing and talking at once, and their peculiar national oaths were getting as plenty as pronouns.