for mercy, and said, "Captain, you must do as you will with me now." He is a faithful creature, and the captain's conduct brutal, but somewhat national.
15th.—Turned in this evening, much indisposed, and in want of every good. Hapless is the prospect; a long passage yet before us, with but little water, no fire, weather cold, provisions bad and few. The sailors already on short allowance both of bread and water, and wind yet a-head. At two this morning greatly scared by several frightful squalls, one of which bellowed like loud thunder, and nearly laid the ship on her lee side; insomuch that I expected a visit from the grim king of terrors, clad in his most dismal attire. At eight, a. m. rose from my bed of horrors after a racking of 38 hours; sad, as ever fell to the lot of man! In a gale, and laid to, for the two following days.
19th.—Wind still a-head. Find that the steerage, through want of cleanliness, swarms with creeping things. Now, 3,000 miles in a direct course from our destined port, Charleston city. [12] We are off those beautiful Western isles, the Azores, abounding with herds, grapes, wine, oil, and earthquakes. Summer, this morning, suddenly burst in upon us; the air being, in the shade, warmer than May in England.
20th.—Fine day, dead calm, lat. 38°; therm. in shade 65°, in the water, 61º, at night 70°. Have now taken leave of old winter. It is June; no chilling breezes. How delightful, to an Englishman, is weather like this in February. Now, within 70 miles of the Azores, to which ship-loads of mahogany are annually drifted along the gulf stream, from the bay of Honduras.
23rd.—Day-light from six to six in this delightful climate. I saw, during the day, what sailors call sun-
