1831.] 
CROSSING THE LINK, 
29 
chase, but not sufficiently to bring her within range of the e)^e 
after the night . had set in. From that time until daylight, we 
tacked four times, endeavouring to get to windward, and inter- 
cepting what we had made up in our minds was a slaver ; the 
Mercury following our motions, and keeping as near as she 
could. . 
At daylight on Monday morning, the third, the Mercury was 
on our lee-beam, and, as our logbook expresses it, "the brig on 
our weather quarter." We were on the other tack immediately^ 
which brought us directly in her wake, and we felt assured that 
she could not escape us. Owing to the light wind, it was twelve 
o'clock (noon) before we came within hailing distance, when, as 
she showed no disposition to heave to, our colours were hoistedj 
and she was ordered by the commodore to do so, when she hoisted 
English colours, and immediately complied. Our boat was sent 
to board her ; and, in a short time, returned with the information 
that she was the English brig Brothers, from Liverpool, bound to 
Pernambuco. Great was our surprise to learn from the captain, 
that that morning was the first of his seeing us ! The chase of 
yesterday had escaped. 
After several days of hght winds and calms, a fine breeze from 
the southeast sprang up on Wednesday, the fifth. .Our friend 
the whaler, who was still near us, stood his ground for some time 
with the Potomac ; while the speed of the latter did not exceed 
seven or eight miles an hour. But as the wind increased, the 
frigate began to draw ahead ; and, from being, at nine o'clock, 
A. M., within gunshot, at three in the afternoon, he could only 
be seen, indistinctly, from the mast-head, astern ! From this fact 
something could be inferred as to the good qualities of the 
Potomac. 
On crossing the equator, there was nothing seen of Neptune or 
Amphitrite, in the process of inducting those of the crew who 
had never crossed the line, or been initiated into the mysteries 
of his marine highness. Commanders differ in opinion as to the 
propriety of permitting the " old sea-dog'" to exercise his rough 
jokes upon those who are about to pass, for the first time, into 
the southern hemisphere. 
We are not of that school who foresee ruin to the navy, and 
annihilation to commerce, because sailors have cut off their long 
