LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 29 



Swedish carpenter. We slept on board for many successive 

 nights, in hopes of a fair wind to carry us through the Straits. At 

 last a real east wind did come, and it blew with great violence. 

 The captain, whose foresight and precautions were truly admirable, 

 had given the strictest orders to the crew that not a word should be 

 spoken whilst we were preparing to escape. We lay in close tier 

 amongst forty sail of merchantmen. The harbour-master, having 

 come his usual rounds, and found all right, passed on without 

 making any observations. At one o'clock, post-meridian, just as the 

 Governor had gone to the eastward to take an airing in his carriage, 

 as was his custom every day, and the boats of two Spanish brigs of 

 war at anchor in the harbour had landed their officers for the after- 

 noon's amusements, our vessel worked out clear of the rest, and 

 instantly became a cloud of canvas. The captain's countenance, 

 which was very manly, exhibited a portrait of cool intrepidity rarely 

 seen : had I possessed the power, I would have made him an 

 admiral on the spot. The vessel drove through the surge with such 

 a press of sail, that I expected every moment to see her top-masts 

 carried away. Long before the brigs of war had got their officers 

 on board, and had weighed in chase of us, we were far at sea ; and 

 when night had set in, we lost sight of them for ever our vessel 

 passing Gibraltar at the rate of nearly eleven knots an hour. 



" The wind headed us the following night. After thirty days of 

 cold and stormy weather, we ran the risk of following a fishing-boat, 

 for want of a pilot, and anchored off Brownsea Castle, near Poole, 

 in Dorsetshire an adverse wind not permitting us to proceed up- 

 Channel. Here we sent our papers and Consul Laird's certificate 

 up to London. Contrary to my expectations, we received per- 

 mission, in due time, to proceed up the Thames. I had often told 

 Captain Bolin, during the voyage, that we should be sent back to 

 the Mediterranean for a regular bill of health ; but he thought other- 

 wise, and he was right. 



" I brought over with me from Spain a superbly-mounted Spanish 

 gun, and a beautiful ivory crucifix : they had been a present from 

 the Duchess of Alva to my deceased uncle. The gun is the identi- 

 cal one which the famous Duke of Alva had with him in the Low 

 Countries : my uncle always intended it for his relative, the late Sir 



