nown, in
regard to the "secrets of _this_ prison-house," that "such unwonted
blazon may not be." Now, on board a merchantman, a person might, if
afflicted with _Cacoethes Scribendi_, detail the peculiarities of the
skipper, and any little accident which may have befallen him; such as
the admixture of briny fluid, which Father Neptune may have chosen to
infuse into his glass of sherry, by sending an envoy, in the shape of a
wave, across the poop, who dropped his credentials as he passed over the
unclosed skylight: the numerous evils which befell the mate: the jokes
of Jones: the puns of Smith, or the sallies of Sandy. But here we are
forbidden to walk shodden over sacred ground and details of the cruise
must be confined to generalities; otherwise the travels of the
celebrated Gulliver would be eclipsed, Baron Munchausen lose his claim
to veracity, and the shade of the venerable Miller slink back to its
original punishment.

A strong northerly wind drove us along the coast of Brazil a little
farther south than was our intention to have steered; but upon its
changing, we mended our course, and soon doubled the Cape of Good Hope,
without any incident worthy of notice,--not even seeing the Flying
Dutchman; and if I except the white-winged albatross which followed in
our wake, and the graceful Cape pigeon that strove to emulate our speed,
I may say that, to all appearance, we were alone upon the ocean,--the
moving centre of one vast dial of water enlarging its circumference as
we advanced. But here I must be allowed to notice the occurrence of one
of those coincidences which serve to keep alive those smouldering fires
of superstition, which Education and Experience have done so much to
quench. It had been the practice to fish (?) for the friendly and
companionable albatross with a line towed astern, to which a hook was
attached, baited with a piece of pork. Now many had been the protests
made against these proceedings by some of our most stanch and fearless
men. They prophesied in substance, if not in words, that

"It was not, nor could it come to good."

Yet these prophecies were disregarded, and notwithstanding their solemn
murmuring and ominous shakings of the head, the sport was continued; and
many a wondering albatross was bitten, when he took a bite at the
treacherous pork; until one day, after numbers had been taken, one of
the messes determined to have a sea-pie, of which the body of one of
these birds should b