THE GOOD SHIP "CONSTITUTION. 7 



his foot and strike his heel forcibly against the ship's 

 side. But his cup of sorrow was not exhausted yet. 

 "With sublime patience he awaited the retreat of the 

 sailor, who, with unsteady hands, lifted the bucket 

 towards the captain, who had stretched out his hands 

 to take it ; but " there 's many a slip 'twixt the cup and 

 the lip." The bucket turned over. Wilham, poor 

 innocent William, received the whole of the contents, 

 and the captain got nothing more than his favorite 

 perfume. He swore like a heathen. And what said 

 William, as he stood there like butter in the sun? 

 If the saying is true — "well greased goes easy," it 

 ought to have gone easy with him. 



One more night had we to pass in this Avretched 

 boat. It would fill volumes to relate all the occurrences, 

 serious and comic. In the morning we saw the object 

 of our hopes — the barque " Constitution " — lying at 

 anchor, with flags flying. We were soon alongside 

 and on board. The confusion of this moment was inde- 

 scribable. The second lighter had arrived two days 

 before us with the other passengers, who had secured 

 the most convenient bed-places, and arranged their 

 packages to the best advantage ; no trifling matter in 

 so small a space. The steerage was about thirty-three 

 feet long by twenty-seven wide, and eight high, with 

 posts, or stanchions, in the middle, to support the 

 upper deck, to which the chests, &c., were lashed. 

 Imagine on each side two rows of bed-places, one over 

 the other, about six feet square, each wide enough, or 

 rather not wide enough, to contain five people. The 

 chests, cases, packages of all sorts with clothes and 

 provisions, were stowed in the intermediate spaces, and 



