send a wiser man in his
stead. But their fate was sealed, and from the moment the stranger put
his foot into this interesting country dates its entire change. The
system that the Jesuits established was quickly done away with. Paraguay
is now a part of the Argentine Republic, it is generally at war with
some of its neighbours, and its inhabitants are poor, disorderly, and
wretched.

As I shall have, while telling the story of my life, to relate more
serious events, I will, after recounting one more yarn, not weary my
readers with the little uninteresting details of my youthful adventures,
but pass over the next three years or so, at which time, after having
returned to England, I was appointed to another ship going to South
America, for the purpose of putting down the slave trade in the Brazils.
The adventure to which I have referred was one that made a deep
impression on my mind, as being of a most tragic nature.

While at Rio de Janeiro we were in the habit of visiting among the
people, attending dances, &c. I always remarked that the pretty young
Brazilian girls liked dancing with the fresh young English sailors
better than with their mud-coloured companions of the male sex, the
inhabitants of the country.

At the time I write of the English were not liked by the Brazilians,
partly on account of the raid we were then making on the slave trade,
partly through the usual jealousy always felt by the ignorant towards
the enlightened. So with the men we were seldom or ever on good terms,
but with the girls somehow sailors always contrive to be friends.

It was at one of the dances I have spoken of that the scene I am about
to describe took place.

Among the pretty girls who attended the ball was one prettier perhaps
than any of her companions; indeed, she was called the belle of Rio
Janeiro. I will not attempt to portray her, but I must own she was far
too bewitching for the peace of heart of her many admirers, and
unhappily she was an unmitigated flirt in every sense of the word.

Now there was a young Brazilian nobleman who had, as he thought, been
making very successful progress towards winning this girl's heart--if
she had a heart. All was progressing smoothly enough till these hapless
English sailors arrived.

Then, perhaps with the object of making her lover jealous (a very common
though dangerous game), Mademoiselle pretended (for I presume it was
pretence) to be immensely smitten with one of them--a handsom