ssels, who, directly they perceived us, made all
sail towards us. We tacked and stood again for Falmouth, where we anchored
that evening and remained three days to complete our stores. We once more
made sail for our destination, which I now found was the West Indies,
without meeting further obstacle. As we neared the tropic those who had
crossed it were anticipating the fun; others were kept in ignorance until
Neptune came on board, which he did with one of his wives. It was my
morning watch, when the frigate was hailed and desired to heave to, which
was done. The cooper, a black man, personated the sea-god. His head was
graced with a large wig and beard made of tarred oakum. His shoulders and
waist were adorned by thrumbed mats; on his feet were a pair of Greenland
snow-shoes. In his right hand he held the grains (an instrument something
resembling a trident, and used for striking fish). He was seated on a
match tub placed on a grating, with his wife, a young topman, alongside of
him. Her head-dress consisted of a white flowing wig made of oakum, with a
green turban; on her shoulders was an ample yellow shawl; her petticoat
was red bunting; on her feet were sandals made from the green hide of a
bullock. In her right hand she held a harpoon; her cheeks were thickly
smeared with red ochre.

After being drawn round the decks three times in order to astonish those
confined below by the noise and bustle it made, Neptune introduced his
young bride to the captain, and informed him he was in mourning for his
last wife, pointing to his skin. "What occasioned her death?" inquired the
captain. "She," replied the sea-god, "died of a violent influenza she
caught on the banks of Newfoundland nursing her last child in a thick fog,
and," added he, "I intend next month blockading the coast of Shetland in
order to compel the mermaids to give up one of their young women whom I
hired three months ago to suckle my last infant, since the death of its
mother." He then requested to know if there were any new arrivals from his
favourite island, England. The captain informed him there were several,
and as some of them were rather delicate, with very little beard, he hoped
his barber would not shave them too close. One of the midshipmen was then
brought up blindfolded. Neptune asked him how he had left his mamma, that
he must refuse biscuit when he could have soft tommy (white bread), that
he should lower his main-top gallant sail to a pretty girl