Laplander's, who being placed upon the gunwale of the barge blindfolded, supported by two herculean quartermasters, and being well lathered with the filthy composition of Cook's slush, tar, and paint, a speaking trumpet was handed to an assistant operator, who, holding it to the fellow's mouth, bade him answer such questions as Neptune "who stood,

should put to him.

With all his hosts of waters at command,"

But as there were many to be baptized, time would not admit of more than one question, "Where do you come from?" The moment he opened his mouth to answer, the shaving brush (a tar brush) dipped in the "mistura horrenda" for the occasion, was rubbed against it, the iron hoop razor applied to his cheek, and in an instant he was over head and ears in the boat which formed the bath, to get out how best he could, amidst buckets of water with which all the "old ones" assailed him in the attempt.

CHAPTER XXVI.

PORTO PRAYA AND THE DUCHESS.-JACK PUTS HIS FOOT IN IT. SLAP AT A SHARK.

AFTER crossing the Tropic, the "Fowey" stood along the West African coast, between the Cape de Verde islands and the Senegambia and Senegal coast and river, without seeing anything in the shape of an enemy's vessel, although there were many suspicious slavers under Portuguese colours, that might have been detained as French property, the whole crammed almost to suffocation with those poor devoted beings, of whose lives nothing is more emble

matic than that of the flying fish; except that the African's is one of endless oppression, first from the powerful chief, and then from the heartless slaver!-the death of the poor flying fish is instantaneous, whether from the sea-bird or the albicore, or the various cetæ, ever on the look out for their prey, but not more eager than the white man in pursuit of it.

Upon reaching the latitude of 15° N. the "Fowey" stood across passing between the Cape de Verde islands, and after cruising a few days "on and off" the land, anchored at Porto Praya, and a more desolate looking place, at first sight, can scarcely be conceived. Nor is it much better until one gets a few miles in the country. Jack was the officer of the barge upon the occasion of the captain's landing, and he had to accompany him to the Portuguese Governor's. The state of the whole place, from the batteries to the Governor's family, appeared poor and wretched; and the town itself, after ascending the hill, and getting into it, the very focus of filth and distemper. At the wine shop, where the boat's crew had leave to refresh themselves, a Portuguese officer of the guard, with a handsome blue uniform, with scarlet facings, English sash, and gold bullion epaulette, stood behind a dirty counter, where he served out wine-glasses of aquardiente to the ragged rascals who filled the boutique, until the "Fowey's" made them rouse out and give them a spell; and then the blue jackets made the soldier officer "sarve them rigularly;" for the "Fowey's" did'nt come ashore to "suck the monkey," as the poor devils did, "wot had captains without souls." The captain never went ashore without asking as many officers to accompany him as could be spared from the ship's duty; and, upon this occasion, the second lieutenant, surgeon, purser, and passenger, accepted the invite, and were severally introduced to the governor and the ladies of his family, who were playing at the usual game of monte, with a pack of filthy cards, which ought not to have been touched without gloves. His excellency himself was a fine, handsome, venerable old gentleman, wearing several orders, and a crimson ribbon, similar to that of our order of the bath; but his wife and daughters were in very dirty dishabille, slipshod, and without stockings!

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The guard which turned out to the British captain presented a most ludicrous sight. The cavalry had neither boots nor shoes, but they had spurs, buckled round the instep, and kept in proper position by a strap under the hollow of the foot. Some had swords without scabbards; others a sort of half pike instead of a sword. The infantry were very like the fellows that Falstaff would not march through Coventry with, and not a whit better clad: and their captain might with equal justice say, "There's but a shirt and half in all my Company; and the half is two napkins tacked together, and thrown over the shoulders, like a herald's coat without sleeves."

About ten or twelve houses to the left, on leaving the Governor's entrance gate, a fat Portuguese woman, very busily engaged at a spinning-wheel, whilst several girls were occupied in the various departments of the laundry, was pointed out as the "Duchess of Clarence," although she only called herself "De Princessa Vilhem Henry." She had undoubtedly been honoured by that gallant young Prince's attentions, when the attractions of "the Princess" were in their bud!-heaven help his taste, if his Royal Highness had continued his penchant when full-blown, or when the "Foweys" saw her; for she was too fat to rise without assistance, and, as they described her, "ugly as a buck-horse,”—an animal that no naturalist has ever yet attempted to describe or classify.

Jack got into trouble, and entirely through his own neglect; for he had a good kit of clothes, but having omitted to send his stockings to be washed while at Santa Cruz, he was reduced to the necessity of reefing them; and the pair he had on his legs, or rather feet, upon landing at Porto Praya, had been reefed so closely, and so often, that the tops, which should have covered his knees, having been brought down to his ancles, turned over his shoes, and exposed the marks, J. T. No. 8, just where the shoe-ribbon should have appeared, and this too before the Governor! Jack was ordered off to the boat without any refreshment; the stockingless ladies begged hard in his favour with the captain, but Jack knew too well how to obey the first order, instead of lingering in hopes of its being annulled and upon reaching the ship he was mast-headed

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for four hours, because four of his boat's crew were top-heavy; and very lucky he considered himself that he had not been made "to kiss the gunner's daughter," which in certain other ships would very probably have been his fate. Old Palm soon despatched some grub to him aloft, under the rose; and then turned to and washed out all his stockings for him. Jack never forgot the consequences of reefing them, nor of losing sight of his boat's crew, and at once docked all his stockings into socks, so that they might never again subject him

to such an exposure. Porto Praya would never be forgotten, for the loss of a good "blow out," and the annoyance of four hours upon the royal-yard after his return on board.

At Porto Praya some cocoa-nuts, lemons, oranges, citrons, plantains, bananas, and pine-apples, as well as poultry, were obtained, but the latter was extremely dear. The best vegetables were pumpkins, cucumbers, common tomatos, (solanum sycopersicum,) yams, sweet potatoes, (batatas,) capsicums, and onions. There was but one shop, store,” in the place, and that was a concentration of every thing dear, and kept by an American.

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At the Portuguese Lieutenant-Governor's (a fine John Bull of a fellow in appearance, who spoke English very well) there was a young but splendid specimen of a condor, (vultur gryphus,) which had been sent him from the coast of Chili. It stood four feet two inches in height, and the wings were thirteen feet eleven inches across. It was offered to the captain, but he told the Lieutenant-Governor that there was no rating vacant," nor "place upon the books for such a carnivorous sort of a passenger." The captain and purser were glad to get off; for if they had said "yes" to all the applications for salt beef, and pork, and peas, the ship's company "must have roughed it out," as the master said, "upon bilge-water and smoke, for the rest of the voyage."-A dozen double pieces of each sort, and half a cask of peas were landed, and an ample supply of pumpkins, onions, and sweet potatoes (all which were given to the ship's company), sent off in return, so that "a fair exchange was no robbery."

The barge's crew were greatly amused by seeing a very large ray or angel fish, commonly called the shark ray, (sqalus squatina, L.)

caught by the Porto Praya fishermen. It was five feet in length, and weighed eighty pounds. When dragged ashore, it scampered along by the help of its fins, (as if it had legs,) rearing up and attempting to bite the persons near it, and striking at them with its large fins, as if they were wings, and with all the force of a condor. The fishermen had very great difficulty in disabling it, in which the Fowey's boat's crews were neuter; for they formed a circle for a boxing match, and every now and then would call out, "Well done fish!" "Well done Jack Portugee!" "At him again, fish!” and so on, during the battle, in which the fish for a long time had the best of it, but was no match for oars and boat-hooks, yet, although conquered at last, it "died game."

Leaving Porto Praya, the "Fowey" stood direct for Barbadoes, and every day produced some novelty or other to keep excitement alive, and the men's spirits cheerful. Every evening they had their dances; and from the time she sailed from Spithead to her arrival at Barbadoes, not a man had been unmanned by the lash. The Captain certainly had a greater antipathy to the cat with nine tails than ever human being had for a cat with one tail, and although they did occasionally call him "Crow-bar Joe,”—that was the extent of his mode of punishing for neglect of duty, or, what he hated beyond every thing in a sailor, skulking. Now, walking the weather gangway for an hour or two, with a couple, perhaps three crow-bars, might give a man the shoulder-ache, but he still could hold his head up afterwards; but who ever saw a sailor or a soldier hold up his head with confidence, or feel himself the same man that he was before his disgrace, after having his back scarified, MARKED TO HIS VERY GRAVE, in the presence of his fellow men, and, worse than all, of boys too?