VOYAGE TO RIO. 



25 



yesterday, and shortened sail at her signal, to 

 speak with her. She was from Boston, called 

 the Enterprise, and bound, like ourselves, to 

 Rio. She looked very piratical, and had the 

 Indiaman seen her where we met her, on the 

 line, her appearance was calculated to have 

 created much alarm to a merchant vessel, on the 

 peace establishment ; for piracy in these quar- 

 ters is very common. I observed that most of the 

 officers were without uniforms, and altogether^ 

 a more suspicious looking craft is rarely seen. 



Sept. 3d. — We crossed the line yesterday, 

 and to-day are undergoing Nep tuners discipline 

 of ducking. Although the officers and passen- 

 gers generally escape the most painful part of 

 the ordeal, to which the more humble unin- 

 itiated are subject, they are often drenched to 

 the skin, as I have been for the last hour, on 

 the deck, with buckets of water. 



VOL. I. C 



