100 MOCHA. 
depot for her stores. She was ready for sea before the ^4th, the day 
fixed by the merchants for the departure of their vessels; nor did 
she make any more water in the twenty-four hours, than before 
the accident. 
On the 53d I went on board, with my servants, and was received 
by Captain Vashon with the usual salute. For several days past I 
had been extremely , indisposed, which I beheve was chiefly owing 
to drinking some French claret brought by the last American. The 
heat of the weather too had been very oppressive, and I was re- 
joiced to try a change of air. Mr. Pringle dined with us, and took 
his leave. 
We did not sail till the 55th. We passed the Straits that night, 
and were the next day overtaken by a severe squall. Not one ship 
bad put herself under convoy, or received a single order. How- 
ever, the ship, the brig, and the two dows laden with coffee for Mr. 
Forbes, sailed at the same time, and Captain Vashqn determined to 
see them safe, at least, beyond Cape Aden, where alone it was pro- 
bable a French vessel might lie to intercept them. This had been 
the case once during the last war, when there was no convoy, by 
which the native merchants Ipst nine lac of dollars. Had it not 
been for this, we should have taken advantage of the squall, and 
got far on our way; as it was, wx lay to. We had constantly light 
breezes to the end of the month, with a current, sometimes to the 
northward, and sometimes to the southward of E. 
On the 1st of September we were carried by a strong southerly 
current within sight of Mount Felix, and, to our great mortification, 
instead of being looking out for the land of India, we had not yet 
got clear of Africa ; an extraordinary circumstance for the season. 
