VOYAGE TO THE CAPE. 



We passed the Bay of Biscay with the usual rough 

 weather, had a distant look at Madeira, and entered the 

 trade-winds, without having met with any other disaster 

 than a sort of mutiny amongst the crew, who, headed by 

 a contumacious coloured giant, refused to attend divine 

 service on a Sunday. A detachment of half a dozen men, 

 with the captain and the mate at their head, soon brought 

 the gentleman in question to reason ; forty-eight hours in 

 irons, on bread and water, entirely changed his view of 

 the matter, and he came out from the encounter a 

 very lamb. 



I frequently remained on deck in the first watches of 

 the night, during the pleasant sailing in the trade-winds, 

 between the Canary Islands and the west coast of Africa, 

 a part of the world that has always been remembered by 

 me for its beautiful climate. The light breeze caused 

 little more than a ripple on the water, which sparkled 

 with millions of phosphorescent lights, and the slow, easy 

 motion of the vessel, with the occasional groaning of the 

 blocks and bulk-heads, as a stronger puff of wind than 

 usual caused an additional strain upon them, was like 

 the heave and swell of some leviathan lungs, while the 

 graceful curve of the studding-sails, spreading far out 

 on each side, gave to the ship the appearance of some 

 vast animal, intent on a journey of mystery and im- 

 portance, and busy in thus muttering to itself a rehearsal 

 of its mission. 



I preferred resting in the stern-boat, and watching 

 the space around, to breathing the close atmosphere of 

 the badly- ventilated cabins, with their odours of bilge- 



