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Show 364 PERSONAL ADVENTURES returning to the vessel, found it surrounded by numbers of canoes, containing supplies of fruit, poultry, and several pretty girls, who came to dispose of these welcome commodities to the passengers. In one direction, a crowd of the latter had gathered round a lusty Mexican, who held extended at arm's length above his head a large bunch of bananas, which they 'vere all struggling to obtain. In another, one of the sable beauties of the town was descanting, with great volubility, on the 1nerits and value of an enormous turkey, to which, owing to the eagerness evinced to purchase it, she attached a n1ost extravagant price. But the majority of the passengers were leaning over the bulwarks, screaming, at the pitch of their voices, in execrable Spanish to the people in the boats to hand them up the various articles that they coveted. Amongst them 'vere five or six young men struggling to obtain a basket of newlaid eggs, which are considered a great luxury by persons from Upper California. I was rather amused at the manner in w hicb they tried to make their arch-looking little Mexican owuer comprehend them. " Sefio?"es, necesitan ustedes algo .~" " Senorita, deme usted huevos, Quanta vale la docenaf" '' Huevos! huevos pa?"a mi." "D. --.n 1" t, , 1nan, t h ose are mi.n e .1 " IN CALIFORNIA. 365 " What a bore that I can't make her under- 8tand me ! . I say, J em, what's eggs in Spanish?" " fl uevos." " Oh, yes, to be sure. What a bad memory I've got ! Huevos ! lntevos! muchacha." " Quantos quie?~e usted, senor f" " The devil ! What's four shillings in their lingo?" " Un peso." " Huevos, muclzaclta, huevos por un peso." The eggs were here passed up, and there was a regular scuffle for them, the person who had first asked for them being, as usual, the last served. After a scene of indescribable confusion, in which the parties engaged seemed frequently on the point of coming to blows, the wants of all were at length supplied, and something like tranquillity restored. Previous to our arrival, an apprehension had prevailed amongst us that we should find the cholera raging here; but, on being assured that there were no traces of it, we abandoned ourselves to the full enjoyment of the delicious fruits and vegetables ,vith which the place a?ound:d · Over indulgence, however, generally bnngs with it a penalty, and several of the passengers suffered severely from it in this instance. One of them 'vith whom I was on terms of intimacy' fron1 his cornpanionable qualities, returned on |