GUASCO. 



ter dinner, the party had landed, and were scat- 

 tered in groups on the sunny face of a rock, front- 

 ing the ship. It was quite calm, and the water 

 was so smooth, that, although the whole Pacific 

 is^as open to us, there was no swell ; and only a 

 little ripple broke, scarce audibly, at our feet. I 

 Jiad given orders that, at a certain hour, when I 

 expected a breeze from the land, the sails should 

 be loosed. Accordingly, at the appointed tim^, 

 ^ shrill whistle was heard, which attracted the at- 

 Mtition of my friends to the ship, lying within 

 three hundred yards of the beach : in the next in- 

 stant, the sailors were seen flying out upon the 

 yards to loose the sails. The ladies, upon seci- 

 ing this, gave an involuntary scream of terror, lest 

 the seamen should fall down ; while the gentlOt 

 men shouted with delight and surprise, to witness 

 such dexterity. 



Our adieux were most pathetic — although our 

 acquaintance had subsisted not quite thirty hours ! 

 And as we sailed away, we could observe the ladies 

 sitting on the rocks, like so many deserted Didos, 

 waving their handkerchiefs till the evening closed, 

 and we lost sight of one another, 



