tiny child, which had
strayed upon the ocean. As the boat approached, from the forecastle the
man's form could be distinguished;--he was saved! Soon he was handed
over the side, given over to the surgeon to resuscitate, and the next
day was about, and attending to his duty. And now for the connection of
the albatross with this accident. One of his messmates declared most
solemnly that he had seen an albatross sweeping over the topgallant
forecastle whenever this man--who had feasted upon one of his kind--had
appeared upon it; and that at the very moment of his disappearance, (he
fell from the head,) this same identical bird had made a swoop, and
carried him overboard! Then, the men in the boat also affirmed, that
when they reached the drowning man, two albatross were holding him up by
the hair, whilst others, circling round his head, pecked wickedly at his
face; thus retaliating upon one who had devoured their species, by
picking his bones in return. But if the truth must be told, however
disposed the birds may have been, they were the means used by Divine
Providence to prolong the sailor's life; for they not only sustained
him, as they would have done any other desirable object, by pecking at
it, but also directed us where to send the boat to his assistance. So
the man who ate, escaped the more prolonged punishment of him who

----"shot the albatross."

To show how these matters are managed on board a man-of-war, I give the
report of the affair: "At 7h. 30m., J. D. (O. S.) fell overboard; hove
to; lowered a boat; wore ship, and picked him up. At 8, wore, and stood
upon our course." If a man had slipped upon the pavement, and you had
assisted him to rise by extending your hand, the fact could hardly have
been explained in fewer words. But it is this indifference to danger,
and the casualties of his calling, that makes up the efficiency of the
sailor.

On the twenty-third day of April we were obliged to lay to in lat. 38 deg.
26' south, and longitude 45 deg. 34' 47'' east, by chronometer, and on parts
of the first, third, and fourth days of May had to undergo the same
operation. This was by no means pleasant, as, owing to the weight of our
battery, we rolled very much; and as we could not close the ports
entirely, for fear of carrying them away, had a constant flow of water
across the deck, sometimes very difficult to bear up against.

On the tenth of May, at about 5 P. M., all hands were called to reef
topsails