an-of-war,
even without taking notice of the delicate white ribbon painted upon
her side, pierced by a half-dozen ports, from which protruded as many
saucy-looking guns, their red tompions contrasting prettily with the
aforesaid white line and the black sides of the vessel. A flag hung
negligently down from her gaff end, and, as a puff of wind stronger
than the rest blew out its crimson folds, we saw emblazoned thereon
the cross of St. George and merry England. The brig was the British
cruiser on this station. To the northward stretched the broad blue
expanse of the sea we had so recently sailed on, looking to be as
quiet and peaceful as if there were no such things as hurricanes and
angry waves, and dotted here and there by the glistening sails of
inward bound vessels. Far away to the westward a long black wreath of
smoke, following in the wake of a small speck on the water, announced
the approach of the Havana steam packet; and close in, hugging the
shore, glided a solitary American barque, apparently bound to Havana
to finish her freight, her white sails gleaming in the sun. The land
seemed strangely beautiful to our sea-going eyes; and we were never
tired with gazing at the tall, graceful palms, sheltering with their
grateful shade white villas, situate in the midst of fertile fields of
sugar-cane, and surrounded by little hamlets of white-washed slave
huts. The overhanging haze of the distant city could be seen rising
beyond the intervening hills, and the back-ground of the picture was
formed by a range of blue conical peaks, amidst which towered in
majesty the flat summit of the celebrated Pan of Matanzas.

"And I am once more in the West Indies!" murmured Mr. Stewart, half
unconsciously. "How much has happened since my eyes first looked upon
this landscape!"

"True enough!" added Pedro, sighing.

"Breakfas' gettin' cold, Cap'n Smiff," cried the steward, petulently,
poking his head up the companion.

"Ay, ay," returned the skipper; "come, gentlemen, don't get into the
dumps this fine morning; you ought to be rejoiced that you have found
each other. Let's go below and take breakfast, and after that, Don
Pedro, we must stow you in the run until after the officers have
boarded us."

Breakfast being dispatched, all hands went busily to work preparing
the ship for port. Our bends had been blacked in the two days of fair
weather we had had off the Bahamas; and as our ship was a large,
handsome, packet-built craft