But the opposite policy was pursued.  We were kept at work all day when in port; which, together with a watch at night, made us glad to turn-in as soon as we got below.  Thus we had no time for reading, or—­ which was of more importance to us—­ for washing and mending our clothes.  And then, when we were at sea, sailing from port to port, instead of giving us ``watch and watch,’’ as was the custom on board every other vessel on the coast, we were all kept on deck and at work, rain or shine, making spun-yarn and rope, and at other work in good weather, and picking oakum, when it was too wet for anything else.  All hands were called to ``come up and see it rain,’’ and kept on deck hour after hour in a drenching rain, standing round the deck so far apart so as to prevent our talking with one another, with our tarpaulins and oil-cloth jackets on, picking old rope to pieces, or laying up gaskets and robands.  This was often done, too, when we were lying in port with two anchors down, and no necessity for more than one man on deck as a lookout.  This is what is called ``hazing’’ a crew, and ``working their old iron up.’’

While lying at Santa Barbara, we encountered another southeaster; and, like the first, it came on in the night; the great black clouds moving round from the southward, covering the mountain, and hanging down over the town, appearing almost to rest upon the roofs of the houses.  We made sail, slipped our cable, cleared the point, and beat about for four days in the offing, under close sail, with continual rain and high seas and winds.  No wonder, thought we, they have no rain in the other seasons, for enough seemed to have fallen in those four days to last through a common summer.  On the fifth day it cleared up, after a few hours, as is usual, of rain coming down like a four hours’ shower-bath, and we found ourselves drifted nearly ten leagues from the anchorage; and, having light head winds, we did not return until the sixth day.  Having recovered our anchor, we made preparations for getting under way to go down to leeward.  We had hoped to go directly to San Diego, and thus fall in with the California before she sailed for Boston; but our orders were to stop at an intermediate port called San Pedro; and, as we were to lie there a week or two, and the California was to sail in a few days, we lost the opportunity.  Just before sailing, the captain took on board a short, red-haired, round-shouldered, vulgar-looking fellow, who had lost one eye and squinted with the other, and, introducing him as Mr. Russell, told us that he was an officer on board.  This was too bad.  We had lost overboard, on the passage, one of the best of our number, another had been taken from us and appointed clerk, and thus weakened and reduced, instead of shipping some hands to make our work easier, he had put another officer over us, to watch and drive us.  We had now four officers, and only six in the forecastle.  This was bringing her too much down by the stern for our comfort.