RETROSPECTIVE. 1558 



climate, an eternal spring, enervates the most 

 robust and active, and with its gentle breezes and 

 beauteous skies, brings one into a half dreamy 

 languor which is delicious. After I had ceased to 

 long for bread, and my stomach became reconciled 

 to boiled rice instead, I enjoyed the life exceed- 

 ingly, and was not long in forming a resolution to 

 make these latitudes my cruising ground, and in 

 case I found it comfortable, the Mauritius my 

 home. 



I was now approaching the Island under cir- 

 cumstances very different from those in which I 

 had visited it before. Then it was in an English 

 ship, and as a British sailor, with all the helpless 

 misery of a British tar cast ashore in a foreign 

 port, where ships and victuals are alike scarce. 

 Now, I had at length gotten into a French vessel, 

 and among those who were natives of the place. 

 And although, pecuniarily, I was worse off than 

 before, I cherished a hope that the native vessels 

 would be henceforth open to me, and reveled 

 once more, in anticipation, in the glorious voyages 

 to the out of the way nooks and corners of this 

 part of the earth, which I should here have the 

 opportunity to make. 



Meantime we were slowly sailing on toward our 

 destined port. As the wind was steadily ahead, 

 we had taken a long stretch to the East, and were 

 now on the landward tack. After a forty days 

 passage the high peaks of the Isle of France at 

 length hove in sight in the blue distance ; and twt 



