[Astoria by Washington Irving]@TWC D-Link bookAstoria CHAPTER VII 1/15
CHAPTER VII. Departure From the Sandwich Islands .-- Misunderstandings-- Miseries of a Suspicious Man .-- Arrival at the Columbia-- Dangerous Service .-- Gloomy Apprehensions--Bars and Breakers .-- Perils of the Ship.
Disasters of a Boat's Crew .-- Burial of a Sandwich Islander. IT was on the 28th of February that the Tonquin set sail from the Sandwich Islands.
For two days the wind was contrary, and the vessel was detained in their neighborhood; at length a favorable breeze sprang up, and in a little while the rich groves, green hills, and snowy peaks of those happy islands one after another sank from sight, or melted into the blue distance, and the Tonquin ploughed her course towards the sterner regions of the Pacific. The misunderstandings between the captain and his passengers still continued; or rather, increased in gravity.
By his altercations and his moody humors, he had cut himself off from all community of thought, or freedom of conversation with them.
He disdained to ask questions as to their proceedings, and could only guess at the meaning of their movements, and in so doing indulged in conjectures and suspicions, which produced the most whimsical self-torment. Thus, in one of his disputes with them, relative to the goods on board, some of the packages of which they wished to open, to take out articles of clothing for the men or presents for the natives, he was so harsh and peremptory that they lost all patience, and hinted that they were the strongest party, and might reduce him to a very ridiculous dilemma, by taking from him the command. A thought now flashed across the captain's mind that they really had a plan to depose him, and that, having picked up some information at Owyhee, possibly of war between the United States and England, they meant to alter the destination of the voyage; perhaps to seize upon ship and cargo for their own use. Once having conceived this suspicion, everything went to foster it.
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