one of our passengers gave me notice of the stranger, and gravely
requested me to shoot it. I said nothing; but the ship and cargo could
not have bribed me to raise a barrel against that timid, storm-worn,
home-sick bird: no, if he would trust in me, he should have rest and
food, and so fly back to his lone mistress rejoicing.

Our old man breathes still, but shows little disposition to make an
effectual rally against the foe: for the rest, crew and passengers, all
are well. A number of Irish lads occupy the between-decks: they have a
fiddle amongst them, and "welt the flure" on the forecastle, every
night, with a perseverance that is most amusing.

_Thursday, April 2nd._--Since the 28th ult., light west and
south-westerly winds, with warm balmy days. This morning we lost one of
our crew overboard, an exceedingly pretty parroquet I had purchased at
New Orleans: it was an amusing, active little creature, and on several
occasions had crept through the bars of its cage, and slily gone up the
rigging, whence it had, after a time, descended of itself, or had been
brought down by one of the boys: but frequent peril incurred with
impunity breeds presumption, and towering ambition knows no safe
halting-place; so my poor, pretty Poll, on each new climb, gained a more
giddy and more dangerous elevation, until on this day, attracted by her
usual scream of exultation, I cast my eyes upwards in search of her, and
quickly made her out, strutting to the weather-end of the royal
yard-arm, the loftiest perch in the ship.

I augured ill of the attempt, and was watching her movements, when,
either impelled by an innate love of liberty, or lured by some fragrant
odour borne on the air from the distant woods of Florida, she made a
bold flight in the direction of the land, and fell into the sea a little
distance a-head of the ship.

Poll was a favourite, and Captain Collins a kind-hearted man: the
Shakspeare was brought by the wind, and various efforts made to near the
silly bird; but all in vain: we went rapidly past her, and left her to
the fate her presumption had courted. The efforts the little creature
made to approach the vessel were incessant, and almost painful to
regard: from the instant she touched the waves, her head was kept to the
ship, which she strove to regain by flapping along the surface with her
maimed short-clipped pinions. I felt that I could have saved her; and
only for shame, and the great trouble it would have nec