s of all hands that we escaped,
cutting our cables and putting to sea for safety, so as to let the old
barquey brave it out on her own element, which she gallantly did.

When we were all ataunto again, we sailed for Bombay, whither the
admiral had preceded us; and from thence, after a grand entertainment at
the celebrated Biculla Club, we were despatched on detached service,
spending the summer months in cruising up the Persian Gulf and about the
Indian Ocean hunting up pirates and Arab slave dhows, in pursuit of
which we ran down the East African coast as far as the Mozambique
Channel.

We captured a lot of slavers, laden with cargoes of poor wretches that,
but for our release of them, would have spent the remainder of their
days in picking cloves at Pemba, or serving the Egyptians like the
Israelites of old; and, giving a look in at Zanzibar, we handed over our
prizes, for each of which we had a bounty of so much per head on the
slaves captured, besides the value of the dhows we did not destroy. We
then returned to Bombay whence we were ordered back to the China
station, making our old port, Hong Kong, again at the beginning of
spring in the following year.

From here, in company with the admiral and most of our fleet in the
eastern seas at that time, we paid a visit to each of the Treaty Ports,
which, mainly through the efforts of England, had been thrown open to
the commerce of the world, and by which not only has the Manchester
cotton spinner and Birmingham hardware dealer profited, but the empire
of China herself and her people.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

HOMEWARD BOUND.

It was getting on for the expiration of the fourth year of our
commission, when we had finished this tour and we paid a last visit to
Hong Kong, before going on to Singapore to await our relief from
England.

Here, having been over three years a midshipman and being specially
recommended for promotion by Captain Farmer, there being three captains
in port to constitute our examining board, according to the Admiralty
regulations, I passed for lieutenant; whereupon, I was given an acting
commission as mate until my return home, when, on getting my
certificates in gunnery and steam at the Naval College, I would be
entitled to my epaulets--the which, I may here state, I ultimately
obtained in due course.

At Singapore, we sweltered from the month of April, when our relief was
due, up to June without her even putting in an appearance; and,