as I can tell my
story while it is getting ready, and we must leave immediately after."
That matter being arranged, he proceeded, "You are aware that I,
according to directions that I received from our lost party, dated
Madeira, followed them to Rio Janeiro by the next packet. I had a
capital voyage, and was so speedy in my movements that I was not
surprised at finding La Luna not in port when I arrived. I waited
patiently for a week during which time I hired a house and made
preparations for their seeing all that was worth seeing in the country.
At the end of that time your son's ship came into port, and she had not
reported herself five minutes ere I was on board. He, with me, expressed
great disappointment at the non-arrival of our party, and, from being
rather fidgety before, I became doubly so at seeing his anxiety.
Accordingly, we left orders and persons ready to receive them should
they arrive by any means unknown to us; and I, at his request,
accompanied him on his cruise up and down the coast, thinking, in my
impatience, that I should hear of them sooner; and at all events, it was
some employment, for, I frankly own, I could not have waited another
week doing nothing, and suffering such anxiety.

"We were out a fortnight, and all we heard was that there had been a
tremendous gale, for those vessels that were only in the tail of it
suffered considerably. But, your son had no fear of La Luna riding it
out, knowing what a good sea-boat she was; except, indeed, she had by
some misfortune got into the circle of the storm, by which she would not
only have the worst of it, but be violently exposed for many more days
than otherwise. Our anxiety grew with the weeks, so at the end of the
fortnight we put into Rio again, and consulted the best authorities. We
all agreed on one subject, namely, that having good sea-room, which we
calculated she must have had when the storm overtook her, she could not
have foundered or been lost. We had then to think what else could have
occurred, and in making up our minds to wait patiently another
fortnight, we calculated that ladies do sometimes change their minds,
and that they might have been seduced into landing on some of the
numerous and lonely islands with which the Atlantic abounds.

"But, it was sorry work this waiting, I determined to make them pay
dearly for breaking their promise, should it be the case, and for
putting me into such a painful state."

"I can well believe it,