odor became
rather tart on the service, and confessed that his incredulity of
British philanthropy would never cease till England abandoned her
Indian wars, her opium smuggling, and her persecution of the Irish!

In truth, these loyal subjects of the King, and the Spanish slaver
became most excellent friends before bed-time, and ended the evening
by a visit to Prince Freeman, who forthwith got up a negro dance and
jollification for our special entertainment.

I have not much recollection after the end of this savage frolic till
my "look-out" knocked at the door with the news that our brig was
firing for her officers, while a suspicious sail flitted along the
horizon.

All good sailors sleep with one eye and ear open, so that in a
twinkling the lieutenant was afoot making for the beach, and calling
for the surgeon to follow. "A canoe! a canoe! a canoe!" shouted the
gallant blade, while he ran to and fro on the edge of the surf,
beholding signal after signal from his vessel. But alas! for the
British navy,--out of all the Kroo spectators not one stirred hand or
foot for the royal officer. Next came the jingle of dollars, and the
offer of twenty to the boatmen who would launch their skiff and put
them on board. "No savez! No savez! ax Commodore! ax Consul!"

"Curse your Commodore and Consul!" yelled the Lieutenant, as the
surgeon came up with the vociferous group: "put us aboard and be paid,
or I'll----?"

"Stop, stop!" interposed my pacific saw-bones, "no swearing and no
threats, lieutenant. One's just as useless as the other. First of all,
the Bonito's off about her business;--and next, my dear fellow, the
chase she's after is one of Canot's squadron, and, of course, there's
an embargo on every canoe along this beach! The Commodore's altogether
_too cute_, as the Yankees say, to reinforce his enemy with officers!"

During this charming little episode of my _blockade_, I was aloft in
my bellevieu, watching the progress of the chase; and as both vessels
kept steadily northward they soon disappeared behind the land.

By this time it was near breakfast, and, with a good appetite, I
descended to the verandah, with as unconcerned an air as if nothing
had occurred beyond the ordinary routine of factory life. But, not so,
alas! my knight of the single epaulette.

"This is a pretty business, sir;" said the lieutenant, fixing a look
on me which was designed to annihilate; striding up and down the
piazza, "a _very_ pretty