trude upon his valuable time,
were Captain Hazard, commander of the American whaling ship Orion, and
himself, Charles Morton, first officer of that ship; that the ship was
filled with oil, and bound home; that they were out of wood, short of
water, and desirous of obtaining fruit, vegetables, fresh and salt
provisions, and live stock, previous to their commencing their long and
tedious passage towards home; and, finally, that trusting to the
well-known kindness and humanity of his Excellency General de Luna, they
had presumed to anchor in the outer harbor, till they had obtained his
permission to move further in shore, and to purchase their supplies.

The old hero of Gibraltar was delighted: he had heard himself called
general, and "vuestra excellencia" half a dozen times at least; and that
too by a gentleman, whose modest deportment and language convinced him
of his seriousness. He instantly acceded to their request, and would, at
that moment perhaps, have given them his house, if he thought they
could store it away on deck, or get it down the main hatchway. Still it
seemed as if there was something lacking on their part; and he was soon
set at ease. The two Americans communicated for a moment, when the young
man, in polite and set phrase, gave the wished-for, and expected,
invitation to the governor and his family to visit and dine on board the
Orion, the next day at twelve o'clock; for sailors, and some others,
stick to the primitive and convenient habit of dining in the middle of
the day--fashionable people, I believe, don't dine till to-morrow
morning.

The parties then separated, mutually pleased with each other; the
Americans at having their request so easily and cheerfully granted, and
the old Castilian in high glee with the prospect before him, of a good
dinner, plenty of punch, and plenty of wine. Being gifted with olfactory
powers equal to Job's war-horse, he smelled, not a battle, but a dinner,
afar off, or within thirty divisions of "old Time, the clock-setter's"
dial.

The Orion was indeed the American whaleman in sight when the governor
visited the waterside, and was then coming in, but just as the
sea-breeze commenced, the look-out at the masthead reported a large
school of sperm whales in the offing. Although the want of vegetables
and fresh provisions did grieve him sore, yet want of oil did grieve him
more; and accordingly, Captain Hazard, whose ship was but little more
than half full, commenced be