er, with both lateen sails
drawing beautifully, we ran bump on a shoal; there was no danger, and
knowing that the 'Mudians were capital sailors, I sat still. Not so
Captain K-----, a round plump little _homo_,--"Shove her off, my boys,
shove her off." She would not move, and thereupon he, in a fever of
gallantry, jumped overboard up to the waist in full fig; and one of the
men following his example, we were soon afloat. The ladies applauded,
and the captain sat in his wet _breeks_ for the rest of the voyage, in
all the consciousness of being considered a hero. Ducks and onions are
the grand staple of Bermuda, but there was a fearful dearth of both at
the time I speak of--a knot of young West India merchants, who, with
heavy purses and large credits on England, had at this time domiciled
themselves in St. George's, to batten on the spoils of poor Jonathan,
having monopolised all the good things of the place. I happened to be
acquainted with one of them, and thereby had less reason to complain;
but many a poor fellow, sent ashore on duty, had to put up with but
Lenten fare at the taverns. At length, having refitted, we sailed in
company with the Rayo frigate, with a convoy of three transports,
freighted with a regiment for New Orleans, and several merchantmen for
the West Indies.

"The still vexed Bermoothes"--I arrived at them in a gale of wind, and
I sailed from them in a gale of wind. What the climate may be in the
summer I don't know; but during the time I was there it was one storm
after another.

We sailed in the evening with the moon at full, and the wind at
west-north-west. So soon as we got from under the lee of the land the
breeze struck us, and it came on to blow like thunder, so that we were
all soon reduced to our storm staysails; and there we were, transports,
merchantmen, and men-of-war, rising on the mountainous billows one
moment, and the next losing sight of everything but the water and sky
in the deep trough of the sea, while the seething foam was blown over
us in showers from the curling manes of the roaring waves. But
overhead, all this while, it was as clear as a lovely winter moon could
make it, and the stars shone brightly in the deep blue sky; there was
not even a thin fleecy shred of cloud racking across the moon's disc.
Oh, the glories of a northwester!

But the devil seize such glory! Glory, indeed! with a fleet of
transports, and a regiment of soldiers on board! Glory! why, I dar