358 ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER 



pleasures, which are as opposite from shore-going people as the two 

 poles. 



The reader may expect some amusement from my adventures at 

 this place. If so, I am sorry to disappoint them. I was too young 

 to meet with any worth relating, and I had so little idea that I should 

 ever use the " grey goose quill" for any thing further than a letter 

 to an antiquated aunt, or a lying epistle for an extra draft to my 

 father, that I kept no journal or remarks of any sort. It was not till 

 I embarked in my second voyage, that I commenced taking notes of 

 passing events ; nor did I then do it with any idea of using them 

 hereafter, but merely for my own amusement. The reader must 

 therefore pardon the barrenness of narrative just at present, as I must 

 " begin at the beginning." 



From Rio we proceeded to Monte Video, and from thence to 

 Buenos Ayres with the mails. At this time the Brazilians were at 

 war with Buenos Ayres, and a large blockading squadron in the river 

 Plate to intercept all vessels going up the river ; we, being a packet, 

 were allowed to pass after an examination by the squadron, to pre- 

 vent our taking passengers, arms, or ammunition to the Buenos 

 Ayreans. We were told of this at Monte Video, and at the same 

 time were given to understand that the squadron was so alert that it 

 would be impossible for us to pass them without being observed. 

 This of course we had no wish to do. 



We now got under weigh and proceeded up the river, and though 

 we past so near the alert and active quadron as to see the flash of 

 their nine o'clock gun, they did not observe us. The next morning 

 early, we anchored in the Roads, seven miles from the shore, and 

 were at last discovered by the blockading squadron, who came to 

 ask if we had any passengers. We had been at anchor then four 

 hours, and the captain had been on shore with the mails two, so we 

 had had plenty of time to land them. At Buenos Ayres we re- 

 mained a fortnight, and then taking on board four passengers, two of 

 whom were Englishmen and a French watch-maker, returning to his 

 native country after having made his fortune, the other was a true 

 blooded Yankee, i. e. a regular shark. We now retraced our steps 

 and arrived once more at Rio de Janeiro. At this place we heard 

 from an English merchantman that had just arrived, of a piratical 

 schooner that had chased her for two days till they were parted by a 

 fog. This greatly frightened the poor Frenchman, who had a large 

 sum of money on board in specie. The Yankee took advantage of 

 this to induce him to give up the idea of going to England. What 

 reason he could have for doing so I don't know, but this world is 

 given to scandal, and it was said the Yankee did not lose by it. 

 After remaining two days at Rio, we made sail for England, and 

 soon arrived at the Equator, got the trade winds, and went along at 

 the rate of nine knots an hour. One morning at about 11 A. M., in lat. 

 2. N., the gunner came down in the cabin to say there was a vessel 

 in sight that had been steering due south till she saw us, when she 

 altered her course and was coming right upon us. This put us all 

 upon the alert, suspecting it was the pirate we had heard of at Rio. 

 We all went on deck and in an hour she was near enough for us to 

 discover from the mast-head, that she was a very long and suspicious- 



