lking, and expected the men to bring the
good things of their table to her, instead of allowing her to come for
them.

At the time of Sir Murray Maxwell's attack on the batteries of Canton,
the Lyra, under my command, was lying at Macao, and during our stay
the brig was visited by many of the Chinese authorities. We were also
watched by a fleet of men-of-war junks, and had some reason to suppose
that we might have a brush with them. In that event, I think our worst
chance would have consisted in the enthusiasm with which the Chinese
admiral, captains, and crews, would have fought to have put themselves
in possession of such a prize as Jean.

While things were in this interesting position, I received orders to
get under weigh, and run up the Canton river to Wampoa. Off we set,
escorted by the Chinese fleet of a dozen sail of junks. The wind was
against us, but we soon beat up to the Bogue, and passed, unharmed,
the batteries, which, to use Lord Nelson's expression, Captain
Maxwell had made to look very like a plum-pudding. We had scarcely
anchored at Second Bar, in the midst of the grand fleet of tea ships,
when we were boarded by a host of Chinese mandarins and Hong
merchants, wearing all the variety of buttons by which ranks are
distinguished in that well-classified land. This was not to compliment
us, or to offer us assistance, or even to inquire our business. One
single object seemed to engage all their thoughts and animate the
curiosity of half the province of Quantung. The fame of our fat sow
Jean, in short, had far outrun the speed of the Lyra, and nothing was
heard on every hand but the wondering exclamations of the natives,
screaming out in admiration, "High-yaw! High-yaw!"

We had enough to do to clear the ship at night of these our visitors,
but we were by no means left in solitude; for the Lyra's anchorage was
completely crowded with native boats. The motive of all this attention
on the part of the Chinese was not merely pure admiration of Jean; the
fact is, the acute Chinese, skilled especially in hog's flesh, saw
very well that our pet pig was not long for this world, and knowing
that if she died a natural death, we should no more think of eating
her than one of our own crew; and having guessed also that we had no
intention of "killing her to save her life," they very reasonably
inferred that ere long this glorious _bonne bouche_ would be at their
disposal.

Our men, who soon got wind of this design on