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Show 40 PERSONAL ADVENTURES tion instantly shamed rne into putting up my knite aO'ain · thouo-h I did not feel the 1nore 0 ' 0 disposed to surrender my person to the tender mercies of rny mischievous friends. Retainino · then a defensive attitude, or, more pro- o perly speaking, a 'vary one, I ventured to remonstrate temperately but firmly on the absurdity of their conduct, not to give it a harsher name. My preachment was received with shouts of derision, and I doubt not but the affair would have tenninated in a scuffle, had it not been for O'Reilly, who shouted out, "Come away, boys !-the fellow isn't worth a toss up. Sure, we're wasting our precious titne thrying to dhrive taste into him, and Mr. Judson here a longing all the while to have another swim in the air." So saying, and giving tbe hint to the others, the unlncky Judson took my place in the blanket, and, judging from the peals of laughter which I soon afterwards heard, was operated upon to the satisfaction of the rioters. I have no reason to believe that the ceremonies usually observed on crossing the line • IN CALIFORNIA. 41 were shorn of any of their magnificence on the occasion of our passage. I confess I felt some surprise on beholding his Oceanic Majesty suddenly appear on deck-quite fresh from the coral caves of his dominions, as . we 'vere inforrned, wearing a bran-new New York " rowdy" hat, and with a face as black as the ace of spades; a fact, by the way, which O'Reilly accounted for by stating, that the god of the ocean had just come back from sweeping Mount Vesuvius, .w hich every body knew " wasn't asy to cure of smoking." How-ever, as his Majesty's beard was unexceptionably classical, and his behests were not to be disputed, we took our turns at the tub, and submitted, with as good a grace as we could muster, to the tar-brush and iron hoop, although I am bound in honesty to admit, the attempt to assume a pleasant countenance under these circutnstances proved a general failure. Altogether, the ceremony passed off without any disagreeable incident; the fun, 'vhich was, as may be conceived, of the n1ost rough and boisterous sort, lasting until every |