82 COSTLY BANQUET. 



a voyage, and begged we would accom- 

 pany our captain to dine with him 

 that evening. The sumptuousness of the 

 entertainment the quantity of gold and 

 silver the strange variety of the meats 

 the quality of the guests, and the 

 gorgeous display that pervaded the whole 

 scene, as it then appeared to my simple 

 mind, far surpasses my power of descrip- 

 tion. 



On the evening of our departure from 

 this emporium of wealth and commerce, 

 after attending another of those costly 

 banquets, I lay down about mid- 

 night, without taking off my clothes, 

 as the boat was to leave very early in 

 the morning. I never knew how I 

 reached it, for both my messmates told 

 me it was with the greatest difficulty 

 they awoke me; they had, indeed, almost 

 to carry me to the waterside this they 

 attributed to my having indulged a 

 little too much in the enjoyments of 



