418 THE VOYAGE HOME. 



their cage, to which they tried to pull it. In New York, 

 at the office of Mr Wilkes, I rnet Heenan, and, without 

 Heenan at the time knowing who I was, we stood up 

 to each other in our attitudes of fistic defence. As to 

 my opinion of his looks, his shape, and manners, it 

 has been previously and favourably expressed ; but 

 at the time I thought his attitude so open and faulty 

 that Sayers would have an easy conquest. So faulty 

 did I deem it that I thought it was not his real posi 

 tion, but that he stood thus in order that an English 

 man might not carry home any description of his tac 

 tics. By the photographs, however, that I have seen of 

 him, he holds his left hand still as low as he did with me, 

 and, what is more odd for an exclusively left-handed hit 

 ter, which he is, he stands with his left leg and left hand 

 foremost. 



But, adieu to New York and the United States ! We 

 are on the broad bosom of the Atlantic, with a nice little 

 company of voyagers and very agreeable and graceful 

 society. During the voyage we had some roughish 

 weather, but not a gale of wind. One rather stormy night 

 the lesser puffin-auk flew aboard of us, and was brought 

 to me. I had him taken the greatest care of, and for a 

 few days he fed very well, but as sailors do not discrimin 

 ate what portion of their grub is fit for feathered stomachs, 

 and what not, he ate something which disagreed with him 

 and died. Again, one evening, long after dark, and while 

 the ladies were dancing on deck, a little female furzechat, 

 hundreds of miles from any coast, flew against the rigging 

 and dropped dead at a very pretty foot, from which en 

 viable situation it was delivered to me : and these were 

 the only two ornithological incidents that came under my 

 observation. 



