MALTA AND SICILY. 
287 
no better than those we had bought at 
Palermo. Neither meat nor oranges were 
to be procured. When we had purchased a 
sea-stock which we thought would be quite 
sufficient to last us for a fortnight, we has¬ 
tened on board, but our appetites were so 
keen that we could not refrain from trying 
the quality of our provisions before we 
reached the vessel. So we made a most 
delightful meal of bread and raw bacon , 
while our men sat and laughed at us till they 
could scarcely use their oars. In the ecsta¬ 
sies of their merriment they shouted— <c Ah, 
San Diavolo ! San Diavolo ! ” which extra¬ 
ordinary invocation was not uncommonly 
made use of by them. 
- In the course of the day a fair wind 
sprang up, and continued with us till we 
were about a hundred miles from the Straits 
of Bonifacio, when we were becalmed for 
