ed with water, and eaten with molasses. It is very
heavy, dark, and clammy, yet it is looked upon as a luxury, and really
forms an agreeable variety with salt beef and pork. Many a rascally
captain has made friends of his crew by allowing them duff twice a week
on the passage home.

On board some vessels this is made a day of instruction and of
religious exercises; but we had a crew of swearers, from the captain to
the smallest boy; and a day of rest, and of something like quiet,
social enjoyment, was all that we could expect.

We continued running large before the north-east trade winds for
several days, until Monday--

September 22d; when, upon coming on deck at seven bells in the morning,
we found the other watch aloft throwing water upon the sails; and
looking astern, we saw a small clipper-built brig with a black hull
heading directly after us. We went to work immediately, and put all
the canvas upon the brig which we could get upon her, rigging out oars
for studding-sail yards; and continued wetting down the sails by
buckets of water whipped up to the mast-head, until about nine o'clock,
when there came on a drizzling rain. The vessel continued in pursuit,
changing her course as we changed ours, to keep before the wind. The
captain, who watched her with his glass, said that she was armed, and
full of men, and showed no colors. We continued running dead before
the wind, knowing that we sailed better so, and that clippers are
fastest on the wind. We had also another advantage. The wind was
light, and we spread more canvas than she did, having royals and
sky-sails fore and aft, and ten studding-sails; while she, being an
hermaphrodite brig, had only a gaff topsail, aft. Early in the morning
she was overhauling us a little, but after the rain came on and the
wind grew lighter, we began to leave her astern. All hands remained on
deck throughout the day, and we got our arms in order; but we were too
few to have done anything with her, if she had proved to be what we
feared. Fortunately there was no moon, and the night which followed was
exceedingly dark, so that by putting out all the lights and altering
our course four points, we hoped to get out of her reach. We had no
light in the binnacle, but steered by the stars, and kept perfect
silence through the night. At daybreak there was no sign of anything
in the horizon, and we kept the vessel off to her course.

Wednesday, October 1st. Crossed the equator i