XXX AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
wind at night-fall, and I could never learn any 
thing afterwards of the brig, or of the fate of her 
commander. 
On our arrival at Cadiz, we found the town illu- 
minated ; and there were bull fights in honour of 
royal nuptials. We accompanied Consul Duff to the 
amphitheatre. He was dressed in a brilliant scarlet 
uniform; and, though he had cautioned us not to 
lose sight of him as soon as the entertainment should 
be finished, still my eyes wandered upon a thousand 
objects, and I most unfortunately missed him, just 
as we were departing from the amphitheatre. As 
there were hundreds of Spaniards in scarlet cloaks, 
it was probably on this account that the consul 
had been particular in requesting us to keep him 
always in view. I walked up and down Cadiz till 
nearly midnight, without being able to speak one 
word of Spanish, and trying in vain to find the Bri- 
tish consul's house. At last, in utter despair, I re- 
solved to stand still, and to endeavour to make out 
some passing Frenchman, or some American, by the 
light of the moon, which shone brilliantly upon the 
white houses on each side of the street. The first 
person whom I accosted luckily turned out to be a 
French gentleman. I told him that I was a stranger, 
and that I was benighted, and had lost my way. He 
most kindly took me to the consul's house, which 
was a long way off. 
After staying a fortnight in Cadiz, we sailed 
through the Straits of Gibraltar, for Malaga in An- 
dalusia ; a province famous for its wine, its pome- 
granates, its oranges, and its melons. 
