BUENOS AYRES. 



109 



for Monte Video,, where Mr. Hamilton is or- 

 dered to propose a treaty of commerce^ and lie 



* 



On one occasion, his captain with two midshipmen 

 were shooting on the banks of a river in Central America, 

 when a duck was wounded, which fell in the stream. 

 " Nothing doubting," the eager Neptune plunged in 

 after it, but in an instant he uttered a howl of despair, 

 and was perceived rushing out of the water followed by 

 an enormous alligator. Tiie monster retreated back- 

 wards into the river on espying the sportsmen who were 

 reloading their guns. The dog's eyelid was torn and his 

 mouth bled profusely, but he had sustained no further 

 damage from this singular encounter. The alligator was 

 probably, at first, asleep, and had no time to prepare a 

 more serious attack before Neptune had secured a retreat. 



One evening on the passage home, when the ship was 

 sailing at the rate of eight or nine knots, Captain Har- 

 court, who was in his stern cabin, heard the orders given 

 on deck to lower a boat and bring-to the vessel, and from 

 the window he beheld poor Neptune, who had fallen 

 overboard from the chains, struggling in the waves and 

 floating to leeward. Before the North Star's way was 

 stopped, he was full a mile distant, and the evening did 

 not afford light enough to enable the boat to steer to his 



