he insurgents, ordered to be shot. No great formality was
ever used on these occasions, (the Catholic Church, of course, withheld
her consolations from heretics,) and their preparations were nearly
completed, when several dragoons dashed into the "plaza," bloody with
spurring, fiery red with haste, announcing that the rebels were
advancing in great force from the interior. The intelligence proved to
be correct, but the executing party did not wait to ascertain that fact;
they scampered off instantly, leaving the prisoners bound. The Patriots,
of course, set them at liberty, and Old Cuff was thus rescued a second
time from an "untimely grave." (By the way, I never saw any person,
however old and infirm, who was willing to admit the grave "timely," at
any age.)

After many wanderings and adventures, he entered another Patriot vessel,
cruising off the mouth of the river Plata. After making some captures,
they were one day suddenly surprised and completely hemmed in by a
Spanish squadron, consisting of a frigate and four or five other smaller
vessels. Finding escape impossible, the commander of the Patriot brig,
an Englishman, determined to defend himself to the last extremity, at
the same time using every exertion to escape, of which the swift sailing
of his vessel held out some hopes. These hopes were, however,
frustrated, in consequence of the brig losing several important spars,
and being soon rendered almost a complete wreck. In this crippled and
unmanageable condition, she drifted upon a small, low, island, at no
great distance, but still kept up a fire from such of her guns as could
be brought to bear, or rather such as she had men enough left to work,
for, by this time, full two thirds of her crew were killed or
wounded.--Finding it impossible to save his vessel, the commander, who
was dreadfully wounded, and fast bleeding to death, recommended to the
wretched survivors of his brave crew to save themselves by swimming. Old
Cuff and eight or ten others, being all who were able or willing to try
their chance, accordingly took to the water, and reached the island
safely, Cuff himself being severely wounded. The island was very low,
scarcely rising six feet from high-water mark, and completely covered
with a species of wild vine, that, finding neither trees nor rocks to
support it, had formed a perfect cover to the whole island, by twisting
and interweaving its branches with each other, so as to form a vegetable
carpet