TRl^XOMALEE 49 



grasped the poor fellow's abdomen. The sea was 

 instantly reddened with his blood; the men who were 

 within the sail bv some means rescued what was left of 

 him from his ferocious antagonist, but life, we were all 

 assured, was gone before we got his body on board. His 

 mutilated remains were committed to the deep the same 

 evening, to the great grief of his shipmates. 



Some of our disrated midshipmen left us here for other 

 ships — as did the young scion of aristocracy I have before 

 mentioned — for England. 



From thence we sailed, with the Admiral and squadron, 

 to Trincomalee, a port on the eastern side of the island 

 of Ceylon, and which I was told was the finest harbour in 

 the world. I found it had not been nor could it be over- 

 rated ; and it presented to my view a haven j^ossessing 

 everv advantao-e of securitv and anchorao-e that the most 

 numerous fleet might require. 



We were then ordered to Bombay by the Admiral, 

 first calling at Colombo, where we took in an officer of 

 the 19th Regiment of the Line, to do duty as marine 

 officer ; and on hearing his name I recognized an old 

 schoolfellow from the banks of the Itchen, consequently 

 we became on the best of terms. 



Arriving at Bombay, we underwent a regular over- 

 hauling;- of the masts and rio^sriuor and findino- the 

 foremast sprung two or three feet above the deck, 

 we had to rig shears to get it out. While all hands 

 were at work swaying up the mast, just as the heel 

 swung clear of the deck one of the shears broke about 

 midships, when mast, shears, and all went over the 

 side Avith a tremendous crash, but without injury to any 



VOL. I. E 



