Chap. II.— B. S.] AN OLD PIRATE. 21 
New Granadan schooner was quietly anchored iu the 
Bay of Panama, a little the worse for wear and tear, 
and the company of adventurers dispersed for a while 
in diff erent directions until the affair had blown over. 
The incident caused some sensation at the time, and 
was reported to our Poreign Office. I believe this was 
the reason why orders were sent out to the captain of 
H.M.S. £ Herald,’ to which I was then attached as na¬ 
turalist, to look into the matter, and pay, if possible, 
a visit to the Cocos Island,—orders which were not 
carried out, because we had suddenly to go to the 
Arctic Region to look for the unfortunate Franklin. 
I well remember the disappointment on board when 
it became definitely known that we should be cheated 
out of this little hit of romance, which Pirn and I had 
particular reason to see enacted. In our youthful 
minds we connected it with a strange incident which 
happened to us whilst travelling together in the inte¬ 
rior of South America. We were enjoying the hospita¬ 
lity of a Scotchman—name and residence immaterial,— 
and a day before our departure, he had invited a number 
of people to supper. It was getting late, and the guests 
had departed; but at his urgent request we sat up a 
little longer, mixing another tumblerful, and keeping 
up pleasant conversation. Suddenly our host became 
silent and thoughtful, and ere we could arrive at any 
conclusion as to the nature of the change all at once 
come over him, he jumped on his legs, and began 
to describe, in terms the most graphic, a scene on 
board ship, taken by pirates, the finding of treasure, 
the “walking of the plank,” and other horrible de- 
