VIII. 
ALEXANDRIA TO COS. 423 
displayed ; but whether according to the proper chap. 
form or not, was never ascertained. We heard 
no further cause of alarm. When tranquillity 
was somewhat restored, the old Captain, peer- 
ing to leeward, affected to see what no one else 
could discern, and called out, with great seem- 
ing satisfaction, '' Kootchuk ! Kootchuk!'' a little 
one! a little one! as possibly it might have been; 
viz. one of our English cutters, whose crew 
were perhaps amusing themselves with the 
awkwardness of our manoeuvres, and the panic 
they had occasioned. 
There was no log-book to whieh we could 
refer, as in our former voyages, on board English 
men-of-war ; consequently, we had little oppor- 
tunity of adding to nautical observations. The 
mercury, in Fahrenheit's thermometer, stood, 
September 27, at 7S", rt noon: yet, coming from 
a warmer climate, we felt cold, and put on our 
winter clothing. Towards evening, this day, 
the weather became squally, and the old Cap- 
tain would gladly have taken in a few reefs of his 
wide-spreading canvas: the buffoon was ac- 
cordingly set to work, to have this accom- 
plished ; in the mean time, the fore-sail went to 
shivers. Never was there a scene of greater 
confusion. In the midst of it, one of us 
