ll about it. At first it was thought that we all wanted
a passage, but when we explained matters Captain Thomas, the commander
of the 'Illimani,' very kindly undertook to receive all our refugees
and convey them to England. We therefore sent the gig back for the
rest of the men and the chests of the whole party, and then availed
ourselves of the opportunity afforded by the delay to walk round the
ship. It was most amusing to see the interest with which we were
regarded by all on board. Passengers who had never been seen out of
their berths since leaving Valparaiso, and others who were indulging,
at the time of our visit, in the luxury of a 'day sleep,' between the
twelve o'clock luncheon and four o'clock dinner, suddenly made their
appearance, in dressing-gowns and wraps, with dishevelled hair and
wide-opened eyes, gazing in mute astonishment at us, quite unable to
account for our mysterious arrival on board in this out-of-the-way
spot. A mail steamer does not stop for a light cause, and it was
therefore evident to them that the present was no ordinary occurrence.
The captain told us that the last time he passed through the Straits
he picked up two boats' crews, who had escaped from a burning ship,
and who had suffered indescribable hardships before they were rescued.

Captain Runciman is convinced, after comparing notes with the chief
officer of the 'Illimani,' that the vessel which refused to notice his
signal of distress was the 'Wilmington,' sent down from New York, with
a party of forty wreckers, to try and get the steamer 'Georgia' off
the rocks near Port Famine, in the Straits of Magellan. If this be so,
it is the more surprising that no attempt was made to render
assistance to the 'Monkshaven,' provided her signals were understood,
as the 'Wilmington' had plenty of spare hands, and could not have been
in a particular hurry. Moreover, one would think that, with her
powerful engines, she might have made an attempt to tow the distressed
vessel into Monte Video, and so secure three or four thousand pounds
of salvage money.

The captain of the 'Illimani' kindly gave us half a bullock, killed
this morning, a dozen live ducks and chickens, and the latest
newspapers. Thus supplied with food for body and mind, we said
farewell, and returned to the 'Sunbeam;' our ensigns were duly dipped,
we steamed away on our respective courses, and in less than an hour we
were out of sight of each other. It is a sudden change for the