oyal--H.M.S. _Hermione_ seized by mutineers and carried to
Porto Bello--Recaptured by Captain Hamilton--An alarm caused by
fireflies.

On the evening of the next day the boatswain's wife invited me to take
tea. I could not refuse so kind an offer, and at the vulgar hour of six,
behold us sipping our Bohea out of porringers, with good Jamaica stuff in
it in lieu of milk. "Do you like it?" said the boatswain to me. "Have you
enough rum in it? Take another dash." "No, thank you," said I; "no more
splicing, or I shall get hazy, and not be able to keep the first watch."
"That rum," said he, "is old pineapple, and like mother's milk, and will
not hurt a child. Now," said he, "we are talking of rum, I'll tell you an
odd story that happened to me in the last ship I belonged to. I had a
capital case of the right sort given to me by a brother Pipes. One evening
I had asked some of the upper class dockyard maties, for we were lying at
Antigua, to take a glass of grog. When I went to the case, I found two of
the bottles at low-water mark, and another a marine. 'Ho! ho!' said I to
myself; 'this is the way you make a southerly wind in my case-bottles, and
turn to windward in my cabin when I am carrying on the war on the
forecastle, is it? I'll cross your hawse and cut your cable the next time,
as sure as my name is Tricing.' After the last dog-watch, I threw myself
into my cot all standing, with my rattan alongside of me. About three
bells of the first watch, I heard someone go very cunningly, as he
thought, into my cabin. I immediately sprung out and seized a man in the
act of kissing one of my dear little ones, for it was a case with nine
quart bottles. 'Who are you?' said I. 'Nobody,' replied he. 'You are the
fellow I have been cruising after since I entered the service
five-and-twenty years ago, and now I have got you, by G----d! I'll sheet you
home most handsomely for all past favours.' I then gave it to him thick
and thin. 'Now, my lad,' said I, 'chalk this down in your log, that when
you have the thievish inclination to take what does not belong to you,
remember my cane, if you do not your God.' This rum gentleman belonged to
the after-guard, and I did not forget him."

After cruising round Porto Rico and Hispaniola for two months, we bore up
for the mole, where we found two sail of the line, a sixty-four and two
sloops of war. In the course of our cruise we had sent in an American brig