spirits. We amused ourselves in the mornings with books or chess, and in
the evenings playing whist with a dummy, the time passing rapidly and
agreeably. Sometimes, by way of a change in our amusements, the American
wife cuffed her Lübeck husband, or threw some household utensil at his
head; sometimes the Texan landholder got drunk, and talked all kinds of
nonsense. Thus there was no awful pause in our entertainments, up to the
time of arriving in the channel on the 1st of September, when a cutter
came alongside, and sold us fresh fish and potatoes, which we enjoyed
very much after all the salt provisions.

It was too thick to see the land, but after dark we made out a
light-house on the coast of England, and afterwards another on that of
Normandy. The next day was still foggy, and the wind against us; later,
a pleasant breeze sprung up from the westward, dispersed the fog,
displaying the chalky cliffs of Albion in all the splendor of the
setting sun;--hundreds of vessels were in sight, while the sea was
almost as smooth as a lake. I mounted aloft to feast my eyes
undisturbed, on old, beloved, long-desired Europe, which seemed to open
her arms with a friendly smile to welcome back the wanderer.

I remained till the darkness hid the prospect from my sight. At midnight
the wind changed again, and we had to beat to windward; as the day was
clear, we could make out people walking at Brighton, and the long rows
of bathing-machines on the beach. We also came close in to Dover, and
then over to Calais, after which we cleared the land, and stood into the
North Sea.

On the 17th September, a pilot came on board, and on the evening of the
18th we were off Bremerhafen, and anchored about a quarter of a mile
from the entrance on account of the ebb. Here, to our great
consternation, the pilot informed us that we should be put in
quarantine, on account of the deaths which had occurred. This was a
woful stop to all our hopes of soon treading on terra firma, and it was
in a very ill humor that I watched the dread flag flying from the
foremast.

On the following morning we moved close to the Hanoverian fort. A boat
with a flag uniting the Hanoverian and Bremen colors, put off and came
alongside, holding on by a boat-hook, and refusing to touch a rope, for
fear of infection. Two carefully enveloped figures sat in the stern; one
of these was a doctor, who made us all look over the ship’s side, that
he might behold and study our physiognomies, and see if they looked at
all suspicious. We were mustered, to show that all were present, and
then he inquired into all the particulars of the deaths. After gaining
all the information he desired, he noted it in a book, and said quite
coolly that he would send a report to Bremen, and that we should hear
again in a few days. Here was precious felicity! We had just time to
call out to the boatmen the names of various articles we wished them to
procure us, such as fresh meat, bread, butter, potatoes, &c. a good sign
how ill we all were--ere the boat pushed off, made sail, and disappeared
in the harbor.

The Lübecker’s American wife, the only woman on board, had in the mean
time had many a dispute with her husband, whom she shamefully tormented;
yet he bore it all with inconceivable patience. She struck him, bit him,
hid his things, or threw them overboard, abused him, and in short,
behaved in a manner that would have exposed her to the roughest
treatment from many others; but her good man bore it all with a “What
can I do?” This was his answer to the advice of everybody on board, all
wishing that she should meet the reward of her infamous conduct; but it
was always, “What can I do? I cannot strike her.” His better half
happened to hear the word strike (schlagen), and although she did not
understand German, she knew what that meant; so springing on him like a
fury, and holding her fist in his face, she told him in unmistakable
terms that if he once attempted to raise his hand to her, she would
plunge a knife between his ribs, and scratch out his eyes. She was a
little frightened by one of the party telling her that if she did not
treat her husband better, he had the right in Germany of selling her to
anybody who would buy her--a statement which I confirmed: this startled
her; but if she had had any reflection, she must easily have known that
no one would buy such a termagant.

She behaved better during the time we were in quarantine, perhaps
feeling that she was alone among foreigners, and would be quite helpless
without her husband.

Ten days passed away, and we only saw the boat when she brought the
letters or provisions; at length one of the party wrote a request to the
principal authorities in Bremerhafen, that the passengers at least, who
had nothing to do with the cargo, might be permitted to land. Contrary
to expectation, the answer was favorable, and next morning a barge, of
blessed memory, came alongside, “in which the passengers and
baggage”--so ran the order--“were to be thoroughly smoked.”

All our baggage was removed to the barge; the contents were unpacked and
spread out, the hatches laid on, a dark powder thrown in, and then
something liquid, and the hold was instantaneously filled with a thick
smoke. As soon as all the goods’ were smoked, the passengers were
required to undergo the same process; and we walked about in this
dreadful smoke for about a quarter of an hour: my lungs did not get rid
of the effects of it for three days after. This ordeal past, we repacked
our clothes, and prepared, after our long absence, to tread once more on
German ground. We waved a last adieu to our good captain, his officers,
and crew, whose conduct could not be too highly praised; and in a few
minutes, with light and joyful hearts, we stepped on the soil of our
native land.

THE END.

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

A Racoon=> A Raccoon {pg viii}

unsteady zizgag flight=> unsteady zigzag flight {pg 247}

for the mouutains=> for the mountains {pg 285}

I was indtfferent to=> I was indifferent to {pg 354}

sparng up from=> sprang up from {pg 392}