ad brought up, and must have dropped our anchor into a
well, for we had nineteen fathoms water under the bows, and only seven
fathoms under her stern. The moon showed her face just at this moment,
and we had the further satisfaction of perceiving that we were within
fifty yards of a reef of rocks which lay astern of us, with their dirty
black heads above water.

We were very much surprised to find, notwithstanding the depth of water,
that, during the lulls, we rode with a slack cable; but about two
o'clock in the morning the cable parted, being cut by the foul ground.
All sail was made immediately, but the rocks astern were so close to us,
that you might have thrown a biscuit on them, and we thought the cruise
of the _True-blooded Yankee_ was at an end; but it proved otherwise, for
the same cause which produced the slack cable preserved the vessel. The
_Fucus maximus_, we found, had interposed between us and destruction; we
had let go our anchor in this submarine forest, and had perched, as it
were, on the tops of the trees; and so thick were the leaves and
branches, that they held us from driving, and prevented our going on
shore when the cable had parted. We dragged slowly through the plants,
and were very glad to see ourselves once more clear of this miserable
spot.

"Better dwell in the midst of alarms,
Than reign in this horrible place."

But I sincerely wish all manner of success to this little empire, though
I hope my evil stars will never take me to it again. We shaped our
course for the Cape of Good Hope, for Captain Peters would not run
further risk in waiting for the consort privateer.

Poor Thompson, notwithstanding all my exertions in his favour, was
exposed to much ill-treatment on board the vessel, on account of his
firm and unshaken loyalty. He seldom complained to me, but sometimes
vindicated himself by a gentle hint from one of his ample fists on the
nose or eye of the offender, and here the matter usually ended for his
character was so simple and inoffensive, that all the best men in the
vessel loved him. One night a man fell overboard--the weather was fine,
and the brig had but little way; they were lowering down the jolly-boat
from the stern, when one of the hooks by which she hung by the stern,
broke, and four men were precipitated with violence into the water. Two
of them could not swim, and all screamed loudly for help as soon as they
came up from their dive. Thompson, seeing this