130 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



could not, I thought, be found with her ; and without 

 this devotion hearts are not given. 



On the melancholy pasturage of my own thought 

 I became at last so visibly doleful, that I acted quit 

 as a wet blanket on the party. Some of the giddier 

 among the girls rallied me, more wittily than com- 

 passionately, on my love-tokens, and wished to try 

 me by a sort of jury, to discover which of themseh 

 it was that caused my grief. The effect of this 

 badinage on me was to kindle no little exasperation 

 against the principal persecutors, and to make me 

 pretty considerably unamiable to all I felt that I 

 was behaving in a way that would be likely to leave 

 behind me no good impression, and yet I could not 

 constrain myself to propriety. 



Thus far my expedition seemed to have answer 

 ill. I have now to tell how it anon seemed to 

 threaten worse, and then turned out in the happy 

 issue which I at present enjoy. 



The time came for us to think of returning. There 

 was every probability of our finding this an easy task, 

 as we were able pretty well to calculate on the rising 

 of the land-breeze. The wind had fallen during the 

 day, and for some hours there had been a dead calm. 

 The' breeze that was to succeed it was very long in 

 coming. The revellers were so well pleased with 

 their entertainment that no thought was breathed of 

 getting ready for a start, till the gentle sighing of 1 

 neighbouring sugar-canes told us that the elements 



