EATING ASPAKAGUS. 43 



The third of my associates was a fine, 

 handsome lad, a little above my own age, 

 fresh from the sister isle, of primitive ideas, 

 but of a noble and generous nature. He was 

 also a protege of the captain's, and was ex- 

 tremely well connected. I remember it was 

 a standing joke against him, which he always 

 took with habitual good humour, that one 

 day at the captain's table he attempted to 

 invert the process of eating asparagus, by 

 squeezing the palatable part between his 

 fingers, and putting the less succulent 

 end to his lips ; the loud laughter of 

 the captain's guests soon corrected the 

 mistake. 



Nevertheless, hi! simple and unsophisti- 

 cated manner gained him friends ; and, 

 had his life been spared, he would have 

 been a star in the firmament of the pro- 

 fession, which he followed with much 

 ardour and devotion. He was sent away 

 in a boat with two others, under the com- 

 mand of a lieutenant and boatswain, to cut 



