," added he, "Mr. G.
and I shall never accord after what has happened, and if he does not
effect an exchange with a junior officer to yourself, I will try him by a
court-martial."

Two weeks more finished our unsuccessful cruise. We bore up for the
Florida Stream, ran through the Turks' Island passage, made St. Domingo
and Cuba, passed over the Pismire shoal of the N.E. end of Jamaica, and
anchored at Port Royal. The morning following we received letters from
England. I must here relate an incident which was most feelingly trying to
one of the youngsters. He had, among others, received a letter from his
mother, and to be more retired had gone abaft the mizzen-mast to read it.
The sea-breeze was blowing fresh, when, just as he had opened it and read
the first words, it blew from his hands overboard. Poor little fellow! The
agonised look he gave as it fell into the water is far beyond description.
He was inclined to spring after it. Had he known how to swim he would not
have hesitated a moment. Unfortunately all the boats were on duty, or it
might have been recovered. Mr. G., the first lieutenant, effected his
exchange, and a fine young man joined as second. I was now positively
fixed as first. I was invited to dignity balls without number, and had
partners as blooming as Munster potatoes.

My servant was of a shining jet colour, and a fiddler. I took lodgings on
shore, and after the duty of the day was performed, about half after six
o'clock in the evening, I went to my _chateau_, taking with me Black
George and his fiddle, where my shipmates and a few friends of all colours
amused themselves with an innocent hop and sangaree, for I had now grown
too fine to admit the introduction of vulgar grog. Even the smell of it
would have occasioned the ladies to blush like a blue tulip. After amusing
ourselves on shore and performing our duty on board, we were ready for sea
the fifth week after our arrival, and on the sixth we sailed for the south
side of St. Domingo. We had been cruising a few days off the port of
Jacmel, when the _Nimrod_ cutter and the _Abergavenny's_ tender joined us.
The lieutenants of both vessels came on board, and related the following
fact in my hearing:--The former vessel had detained an honest trading
Yankee brig on suspicion, and had sent her to Jamaica to be examined. The
latter vessel caught a large shark the morning after, and found in its maw
the false papers of this said American brig, which she h