the boatswain, "Is your list ready, brother? I have several other ships to visit; but avast, I haven't half executed my commission yet"— and he thrust his hand amongst the drapery that was bound round his loins, and pulled out a couple of dolls, regularly ship-rigged, in blue jackets and trousers, with picked white oakum for hair, and presenting them to the officer, said, "They were a present from Neptune's children for the babies." He then returned to his shell-as the boatswain declared to Marshall. The splashing and noise under the bows was resumed, the ship was kept on her course, and the hammocks piped up.

Exactly at four bells, a spare topsail was stretched across the ship from the two aftmost of the fore-shrouds, and about one-third up the rigging, so as to screen the forecastle from observation. The booms, the gangways, the hammock-nettings on the quarter-deck, and the break of the poop, were crowded with eager and anxious spectators, desirous of witnessing the ceremony; and those who had never crossed the Line before gave a look of alarm every now and then to an enormous tub, that was placed by the starboard-gangway, filled with water, as ominous of something that was to follow, which they had not much relish for, whilst the whip being rigged with its portentous appendages, and the ranging of fire-buckets, &c., added to the apprehension that something terrible was about to happen. The last stroke of five bells was yet vibrating on the ear, when a distant rumbling, which was succeeded by a sonorous hail, gave notice of the royal visiter's approach. The hail was promptly answered by the Captain himself, who, with Lady Russell leaning on the arm of Major Campbell, and Captain Lys, with the lovely twins, took their stations on the quarter-deck. There, too, stood the Reverend Mr. Cthe clergyman, with his pale, mild face, but tall majestic figure, whilst other officers gathered round. In a few minutes there was a fearful dashing of the waters, like a shoal of bullwhales in play, and the spray danced high above the screen, which was soon afterwards withdrawn, and the grand procession was brought into view. First came four fiddlers, most fantastically arrayed about the body and thighs, for their legs and arms were bare, except that they were curiously painted with representations of fishes, foul-anchors, union jacks, &c., and they scraped away as if it was a case of life and death. Then came the avant courier, who had first boarded us, with a gilt-headed staff. Next followed two special sea-constables, with shining tomahawks, and they marshalled the way for the barber and his assistant; the former carrying a razor, the blade about two feet and a half long, red with the blood of the unfortunate victims he had already shaved that morning; and the latter, having in one hand a tar-bucket containing lather composed of sundry greasy and savoury ingredients, and in the other an immense brush to operate with. Two more constables preceded the redoubtable and never-to-be-forgotten Davy Jones, sitting astride the shoulders of a stout subordinate, and both as black as the ace of spades. Two small horns appeared on the forehead of each, like outriggers, and a most comprehensive scope of tail flowed down behind. Davy carried a fork, resembling the cook's tormentors; his subordinate had quite enough to do to carry his principal. Close behind these came a herald with a speaking-trumpet; and then appeared eight Tritons, two-and-two, dragging a handsome car, in which sat old Neptune and Amphitrite, side by side. The naval deity had long,

shining glossy white hair, hanging from his head over his shoulders and down his back, and a venerable beard to match; a neat crown ornamented with mother-of-pearl and shells of various kinds surmounted his brows; his dress glistened with spangles, and his all-powerful trident was grasped in his right hand; whilst Amphitrite held a shining sceptre that glistened in the sun, quite dazzling to behold, though Marshall declared, in his ignorance, it was nothing more than the cook's ladle. The goddess was arrayed in all the colours of the rainbow, and her cap looked as if it had been put on hind part before; indeed, to the scandal of the sex, it was strongly believed that she had been indulging too freely with the bottle; and the state of her yellow-red nose, with sundry black pimples upon it, looking something like a sun-flower, confirmed the suspicion of her tippling propensities. On her knee sat an infantile merman, the tail of the fish so conspicuous, that all doubts as to the identity of that anomalous creature were at an end; and it was fully proved that the fish part was like that of a shark. Behind these came a rude assemblage of laughing Tritons, and other sea-monsters, sporting in all their trickery and wild attitudes.

The procession gradually proceeded aft, the fiddlers working away at "Rule Britannia," till the car drew up before Captain Burgess, who immediately uncovered his head, and his example was followed by all the rest. "You're right heartily welcome, Sir, once more," exclaimed Neptune addressing the Captain. "I am happy to see you, my Lady, and them precious cherubs that remind me so much of my own little ones, barring as them there haven't got no fishes' tails,"-and he slued his own youngster up to show the difference. "Gentlemen all, you're welcome." Then turning to Amphitrite he politely said, "Speak to 'em, missus, and ax the gentlefolks how they are."

Amphitrite obeyed her sovereign lord and master, giving her muslin a desperate tug over her eyes, whilst Davy Jones and his carrier wriggled their tails with delight.

"I am rejoiced to have the felicity of visiting your Majesty again," said Captain Burgess, "and am gratified at seeing you in such good health, as well as your excellent spouse. Allow me the honour of introducing Lady Russell to her notice, who, I am sure, must be enamoured with her beauty and feminine qualities. Here's Major Campbell, but you've seen the Major before. Captain Lys will feel honoured by a kiss of her fair hand." The Captain turned away amidst the general laugh at his expense, which was increased by the Goddess uttering in elegant phraseology," He arn't up to gumption." The infants chuckled, and crowed, and danced their sea-dolls; and Neptune requesting to have a kiss of each, they were handed to him. He looked upon the smiling innocents, and his face beamed with generous and kind emotions as he kissed the babes and blessed them. A bottle of wine was brought out by the steward, but both Neptune and Amphitrite preferred rum: glasses were filled, and the toast, "Health and happiness and a prosperous voyage," went round. But by some means Davy Jones got close to the Parson, and begged hard to hob-and-nob with him; but this the reverend gentleman respectfully

declined.

The levee being at an end, the procession moved round to the starboard gangway, where the car stopped before the large tub, and the

Sea-god sent a polite message to the Captain, requesting that the babies might be brought out. The nurses conveyed them to the Monarch of the Ocean, and each of them held in his tiny hand a golden guinea, which was presented as a peace-offering, and the little creatures seemed delighted with the revelry and noise. A gallon of rum from Captain Lys, and several other passengers, secured them from molestation; but Beaumgardte, with that fool-hardiness which nothing could cure, and unwarned by example, would neither propitiate by gift, nor keep away from the deck, boasting that he had pistols in his pocket, and would not submit to be shaved. He was suffered to remain for some time, but Pascoe, myself, the junior mates, and some others, got the fire-engine in the square of the main-hatchway, brought the pipe to the combings just before the main-mast; and as he had already got a little drenching from casualties in throwing water upon the unfortunates, so we completely drenched him, and rendered his pistols perfectly useless. It is true he pulled one out and snapped it, but if loaded, the powder was too damp to ignite. He was promptly seized behind, a handkerchief was bound over his eyes, and a stout fellow grasping him by each arm, he was hurried away to the tub, where he underwent the infliction of the razor,-enjoyed a rather protracted ablution,-and without removing the bandage, was conducted back to the spot from whence he was taken. Swearing vengeance against his tormentors, he struck out right and left, but finding nothing solid on which to vent his rage, he tore off the handkerchief, and found himself standing alone, without a soul near him on whom he could especially charge the offence. Crest-fallen he slunk away to his cabin, and did not make his appearance again that day.

The ceremony proceeded, and it was not till two bells in the afternoon watch that it closed, when all hands were pretty well tired of the sport. Discipline was relaxed for this occasion,-a plentiful supply of grog cheered each heart,—and the evening closed, amongst both officers and men, in harmony.

SKETCHES OF THE CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS.

*

BY A PASSENGER ON BOARD THE SIR THOMAS MUNRO, WRECKED THERE
ON THE 10TH DECEMBER LAST.

WHEN We had been about a fortnight at Porto Praye, we became anxious to leave it, as we were totally devoid of any rational way of killing time. In our excursions to the country we had visited whatever was worth seeing, and as for society there was nothing of the kind. The Yankee Consul, who acts also for the English Government, might indeed have made the place more agreeable to us, but the man knew as much of civility as he did of his own language, his knowledge of which went very little beyond the alphabet. There was a coarseness of thought and feeling about this person impossible to describe, and which you would hardly find in the greatest clodpole that ever followed a plough.

As a Hamburgh Captain, named Koln, was going to sail to Bonavista, we determined to return there with him, and we asked him what he would charge for our passage, but he insisted on taking us for

*Concluded from page 69.

nothing. It was ten o'clock at night when we weighed anchor; I know not on what account, but I remarked that no vessel ever left these islands in the day-time. We had hardly left our moorings when we perceived a small boat rowing rapidly towards us, and on its coming alongside it proved to be our friend the custom-house officer, who had been so useful on more than one occasion in smuggling gin on shore. He now came to ask for some present, and on Captain Koln giving him an old pair of trowsers, worth about two shillings, he danced round the cabin, expressing unbounded joy.

The distance from St. Jago to Bonavista is between eighty and ninety miles, but as the wind was right in our teeth we had made but little progress, when on the third morning the man on the look-out shouted" A strange sail ahead, Sir."

"Aye, aye," said the Captain looking through his glass; " and I don't much like him."

He

I now took up the telescope to have a look at the stranger. was a long craft, and lay so low in the water that his black hull was scarcely discernible, while, under an immense press of canvass, that seemed to rise out of the ocean, he bore towards us with the wind upon his quarter, and leaving that white foaming track behind him that showed at what a rate he was sailing. He displayed no colours of any kind. "He is a pirate, Sir," said the first mate," and bearing right for us -what is best to be done?"

"Best to be done," muttered the Captain; "what the devil can be done?-that fellow will sail three knots for our one."

"Had we not better bear away?" continued the mate.

"To what use?" replied the Captain; "do what we will, he will be down on us in no time, and our altering our course will only make him send some shot through our rigging when he comes near enough; and yet, stay, I think we might gain Maio, we will try it anyhow; all hands there aloft," he shouted, "and unfurl all sail, run out the stunsails, and keep her away," and the next instant we were going along right before the wind. Not a word was spoken, but every eye was turned at one moment towards our own sails, and the next anxiously towards our pursuer.

Captain ?" I asked after some time.

"Is there any chance, "None," he answered; "in an hour and a half that fellow will be near enough to hail us. You had better go below," he continued, "the attempt to make resistance would be worse than useless."

I followed his directions and left the deck, and with no very comfortable feelings threw myself into my berth. At first my thoughts were wholly occupied by our present situation, but after some time they merged into other channels, and at last I sunk asleep. How long I had been so I know not, but on a sudden I was roused by a bustle on deck, and then the sound of a large cannon fired some way off, and rolling along like a peal of thunder. Instantly I made my way upon deck.

"Lie-to," roared the Captain at the same moment, and then turning to me he added, " you see it is just as I told you, and we may as well now lie-to as have them shoot away our masts and rigging. I knew we could not escape them; but you need not be alarmed, for they will offer no personal violence unless we resist, which, with our numbers, would be madness."

In a few minutes more the pirate had got within two hundred yards,

and then one of his boats was lowered, manned, and rowed quickly towards us. He had called up all hands and, including the boat's crew, I counted sixty persons on his deck, though his size was not more than two hundred tons. We could not learn what number of guns he mounted, for there was only one visible, and that was a long ninepounder, moving on a swivel right amidships. When his boat came alongside, four tall and rather fine-looking men, whom we at once perceived were Spaniards, jumped upon our deck. They carried pistols and cutlasses, but there was nothing very remarkable or cut-throatlooking about them, and from their general demeanour, coupled with what Koln had said about their offering no personal violence, I began to look with more interest than apprehension on what was going forward. One of them, who appeared the Commander, was considerably younger than the others, and, not a little to our surprise, he asked, in very correct English, for Captain Koln.

"It seems I am known to you," said the Captain in reply.

"Is there any one in the habit of sailing amongst these islands unknown to me?" answered the other; " and I can assure you, Captain Koln, strange as it may seem, that I feel a great respect for you." "Sir, you do me great honour," said Koln with mock gravity, though I would feel the compliment fully as much, if you would take any other way than the present of showing it."

66

"Captain Koln," replied the other in a slow, deliberate manner, you and I are men of the world, and we know that all men must live; were you not compelled by necessity you would not leave your wife and family for months upon months to command such a vessel as this, nor would I be in my present situation. You are a sailor struggling with fortune as well as myself, and if your purse was lying on the deck I would not stoop to pick it up, but every one is not circumstanced as we are. Your owners, for instance, would not miss a few hundreds, or even thousands. Let us, therefore, see some of their cash."

"I have got no money on board belonging to my owners," said Koln. 66 Captain, Captain, that tale won't do," said the other; do you suppose I am ignorant of what brought you here?-your vessel carries three hundred and twenty tons, and you have just as much money on board as will pay for that quantity of salt. Come, let us have it; the old Governor at Bonavista will just as soon have your bill."

r

"Ha!

"I can assure you," replied Koln, "there is no cash on board." Captain Koln, I know to the contrary," said the Spaniard; "nay more, the very day before you left Porto Praye, you received a hundred dollars for gin and potatoes." Koln started, for that was true. do you now perceive that I don't speak at random? I tell you, Captain, that I have correct information of every vessel frequenting these islands and of all that passes here. The money I speak of you have, and you may as well bring it forth, for get it I will by fair means or foul."

This, which might be termed the argumentum a fortiori, was said in a manner that showed the speaker was not to be turned from his purpose, so Koln took his mates aside to hold a conference with them as to the course they should pursue.

"Aye," said the Spaniard, "it is all very well to consult, though it is easy to see how the matter will end; my Captain here knows very well that we gentlemen of the wave never come on a fruitless errand. You have been shipwrecked ?" he continued, turning to us.