qualified, having employed all my spare hours at sea in acquiring a
knowledge of the theory of navigation. Captain Rose was like a brother
to me, introducing me to his family and friends as the saver of his
life, and making quite a _lion_ of me in Liverpool. We sailed in company
with a large fleet, under convoy of three frigates and two sloops of
war, and had been some time at sea when a heavy gale of wind came on one
afternoon, which completely dispersed the convoy. When it commenced
there were nearly two hundred sail in sight; at the end of two days, we
were alone. The Albion was a beautiful vessel of her class, about four
hundred tons burden; an excellent sea-boat. We had a smart active crew,
besides a number of passengers, and were well furnished for defence, if
required; but we were now so near our port that we dreaded little
danger. However, it was necessary to be constantly on the alert, for
there were many piratical vessels in those seas, which, in spite of the
vigilance and activity of H.M. cruisers, were constantly on the watch to
pounce upon any stray merchantmen. Capt. Rose was, on the whole, rather
pleased at his separation from the convoy, as there were only one or two
other vessels, besides himself, bound to the Havannah, and he would have
been obliged to accompany the body of the fleet to Barbadoes. After we
had parted from the convoy, we made the best of our way towards Cuba.
One night, it was almost calm, but with every appearance of a coming
breeze; the moon was nearly at her full, but dark, heavy clouds were
drifting quickly over her, which almost entirely hid her from our view,
except when, at intervals, she threw from between them a broad flash
over the waters, as bright and almost as momentary as lightning gleams.
We were crawling slowly along, with all our small canvas set; the breeze
was blowing off the shore, the dark shadow of which lay like a shroud
upon the water; it was nearly eight bells in the first watch; the
captain and several of the passengers were still on deck, enjoying the
cool, delightful breeze; but their suspicious and anxious glances into
the dark shadow to windward, seemed to intimate that their conversation
over their grog that evening, which had been of the pirates that
infested those islands, and Cuba in particular, had awakened their
fears and aroused their watchfulness.

"Hark! Captain Rose," said I, "what noise is that?"

Every face was instantly turned over the weathe