old England flying from it, I
delivered my despatches from the Governor of Trinidad to the chief
authority in the place, and informed him that the Majesty of England
must not be insulted in the person of one of her consuls.

"`But Senhor Guedes is very jealous of his wife, and that is all about
it,' answered the governor of Angostura, who, I found to my surprise,
was able to converse pretty freely in English. Such, I had suspected,
was the case, and I could not help feeling that I had been sent up on a
fool's errand.

"From the appearance of Angostura, I fancied that it must have been a
place of some importance in the past days of Spanish glory, but like
every other former dependency of that unhappy country, it everywhere
shows marks of decay. There are churches and priests, but the best
thing it can boast of is a very good market, in which being able to
supply all our wants, we revelled luxuriously on fresh provisions during
our stay. The town also can boast of the very fattest negress I ever
set eyes on; she would make her fortune in an exhibition in England or
America. The midshipmen asked Needham if he would like to marry her.

"`Bless my heart, no, young gentlemen; she's big enough to be the wife
of six men, twice my size,' he answered.

"I can think of nothing else to tell you about this remote city. It has
some commerce, for there were three or four American vessels in the
harbour loading with hides.

"Having paid farewell to the obnoxious consul, who, shedding a flood of
tears, gave me a hug which nearly drove the breath out of my body, I
returned on board, and ordering the anchor to be weighed, directed
Anselmo to pilot us back the way we had come, and `mark me, my friend,'
I added, `if you get drunk, and run us on shore, I will give you three
dozen as sure as you are a living man.'

"`But, cap'n, I would no' do that same, on no account,' he answered,
with a bland smile; however, I had given Needham instructions to keep a
watch on him, and to throw overboard any liquor he might have stowed
away. Three or four cocoanuts full of rum were discovered among his
traps, the contents of which were started, and water substituted. It
was amusing to see Anselmo's face, when he found out the trick that had
been played him.

"`Never mind, pilot, it's better to go without your grog than have a
taste of the cat,' observed Needham, patting him on the shoulder, `when
you get home you shall have enough to keep yo