The rest of us then set out for the yacht, which we reached
at 1 a.m., only to be greeted with the pleasing intelligence that no
fresh provisions had arrived on board for the party of friends we were
expecting. The captain of the tug was good enough to promise to do
what he could for us on shore; but everything is brought here from
Buenos Ayres, and it is too late to telegraph for a supply. We cannot
help fearing that something must have happened to our steward, for he
has always been most steady and respectable hitherto, and I fancy
Buenos Ayres is rather a wild place. Every inquiry is to be made, and
I can only trust the morning may bring us some news.
_Tuesday, September 26th_.--The morning was fine, with a nice breeze,
but the tide was so low that we should have been unable to get
alongside the pier until ten o'clock, when Tom thought we should just
miss our guests. It was therefore decided that it would be better to
send the steam-tug to meet the special train, especially as, if we
took the yacht in, it would be impossible to get out again in the
middle of the night, when we had arranged to sail.
The steam-tug came off early, bringing two sheep, half a bullock, and
some wild ducks, much to the relief of the cook's mind; but there were
no vegetables to be had on shore, and of course it was too late to
send to Buenos Ayres for any.
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