for a moment, and he rolled overboard and was drowned. His last bubbling cry was soon lost in the shrieks of his former companions-he sunk to rise no more. Could he have been saved, his life would have been irksome, and but for the time which even the best desire to make atonement for the sins and errors of early life-to offer their contrite prayers to the Throne of Graceto implore that salvation we all hope for, and none, of themselves, can claim -he had better have died as he did, than live to be dependent on others; to hear the peevish complaint of his attendants, or to sigh for pleasures he could never enjoy, or for comforts he could never attain. With him died every hope; all but two of the crew gave way to loud execrations and curs ings. Some, who had not been so seriously injured by the monsters of the deep, endeavoured to get upon the keel of the boat, which was again upset; but worn out with excessive fatigue, and smarting under the keen pain, they gave up the chance of safety and were either eaten immediately by the sharks, or courting death, which appeared inevitable, they threw themselves from their only support, and were drowned. At eight o'clock in the evening the Magpie was upset; it was calculated by the two survivors that their companions had all died by nine. The sharks seemed satisfied for the moment, and they with gallant hearts resolved to profit by the precious time in order to save themselves: they righted the boat, and one getting in over the bows and the other over the stern, they found themselves, although nearly exhausted, yet alive and in comparative security. They began the work of baling, and soon lightened the boat sufficiently not to be easily upset, when both sat down to rest. The return of the sharks was the signal of their return to labour. The voracious monsters endeavoured to upset the boat; they swam by its side in seeming anxiety for their prey, but after waiting for some time, they separated. The two rescued seamen found themselves free from their inveterate enemies, and by the blessing of God, saved. Tired as they were, they continued their labour until the boat was nearly dry, when both lay down to rest, the one forward, the other aft. So completely had fear operated on their minds, that

they did not dare to move, dreading that an incautious step might again have capsized the boat. They soon, in spite of the horrors they had witnessed fell into a sound sleep, and day had dawned before they awoke to horrible reflections, and apparently worse dangers.

""Tis a bad business this, Tom," said the man in the bow. "A very bad business, indeed; I think I am sorry I was not eaten with the rest of the poor fellows, and then I should never have known the misery of this moment." "I have been,” replied Jack," in many a heavy squall before now, but I never felt such a gale as this. No hope, Tom, no hope! here we are doomed to die of thirst and hunger,-nothing to eat Tom, you know!" The word "nothing" was repeated by Tom, who afterwards continued the conversation. "Well boy, many's the ship that passes through the Gulf of Florida, and which must come nearly within hail of us, so that if we live, or one of us can but live a littleand I dare say we can find food for one,

why then, you know, the whole of the story will be told, and that will be something." Food for one," reechoed the other, and advanced a little towards his only companion with a look of savage determination. Both understood the allusion, there was no doubt but that they could have outlived that day without resorting to the last resource, but they stood afraid of each other. Both had knives, for sailors always carry these instruments suspended round the neck, by a strong white line which they call a lanyard. Although not driven to the dreadful alternative, they anticipated the worst results; they knew they could not both long survive the awful situation in which they were placed. If no ship passed them within four and twenty hours, it was evident that one must be murdered to save the other. In all times of tribulation and danger, men turn their thoughts to God, and solicit that support, for which when in health and security, they had omitted to pray. There is a delightful calm which generally comes over the mind of the most hardened, after they have been induced to pray for support and forgiveness; and few there are who, having once experienced the consolations of religion, totally abandon it afterwards. In the situation in which these two men were placed, they had

not even the comfort of employment; for they had nothing to employ themselves upon; all they could do was, or could be done in a second-namely, when the sea breeze came on, to set up a thwart upright with a jacket upon it, in the bows of the boat, and scud before the wind, in which case, if they could exist four or five days, they might reach the western shore of the Gulf of Mexico. * It was now about half-past six in the morning, the sun was beginning to prove his burning power, the sea was as smooth as a looking-glass, and saving now and then the slight cat's paw of air which ruffled the face of the waters for a few yards, all was calm and hushed-in vain they strained their eyes, in vain they turned from side to side to escape the burning rays of the sun, they could not sleep, for now anxiety and fear kept both vigilant and on their guard: they dared not to court sleep, for that might have been the last of mortal repose. Once they nearly quarrelled, but for tunately the better feelings of humanity overcame the bitterness of despair. The foremost man had long complained of thirst, and had frequently dipped his hand into the water, and sucked the fluid; this was hastily done for all the horrors of the night were still before them, and not unfrequently the sharp fin of a shark was seen not very far from the boat. In the midst of the excruciating torments of thirst, heightened by the salt water, and the irritable temper of the bow-man, as he stamped his impatient foot against the bottom boards, and tore his hair with unfeeling indifference, he suddenly stopped the expression of his rage, and called out, "By G-there is a sail!" -the extravagance of joy was now equal to the former despair, they jumped into each others arms, they laughed and cried together. It was a sail, a brig which had a light breeze aloft and was steering exactly in their direction. Every means of making a signal were resorted to, one stood on the thwart, and threw his jacket in the air, whilst the other, although the stranger was miles distant, endeavoured to hail her sometimes they hailed together, in order to raise a louder sound, and occasionally both stood up to make some signal. Their eyes were never off the brig, they thought no longer of the burning sun, or of hunger or thirst, de

liverance was at hand, at least so they flattered themselves, and no time of greatest joy could have beat the excitement and gratification of that moment, whilst they stood watching in silence the approach of the brig, which slowly made her way through the water. At that very moment that they were assuring each other that they were seen, and that the vessel was purposely steered on the course she was keeping, to reach them-the whole fabric of hope was destroyed in a second; the brig kept away about three points, and be gan to make more sail. Then was it an awful moment, their countenances saddened as they looked at each other, for in vain they hailed, in vain they threw up their jackets in the air,-it was evident that they had never been seen, and that the brig was steering her proper course. Both now attempted to break adrift one of the fixed thwarts, the loose ones had been lost during the night, and although, as all may fancy, every muscle was exerted, and all the strength nature had given them pushed to the uttermost, yet were they insufficient in power to succeed. Their ob ject was to use two of these thwarts as paddles, and to edge down at an angle from the course of the brig, so that they would, if they did not reach her, at any rate pass so near, as to be certain of being seen. This last was a sad disappointment, but sailor-like they would not despair, while hope was in sight, they endeavoured by heeling the boat on one side, to propel her by their hands, but they were soon worn out with fatigue, and obliged to relinquish the attempt, for independently of the impossibility of success in such an undertaking, they lost the better opportunity of being seen from the vessel.

"It was after a long deep sigh from the man in the stern sheets, and after wiping away a stream of tears, as he looked at the vessel, then about two miles and a half distant, that he broke out into a loud lamentation on the utter hopelessness of their condition if they were not seen. In vain they declared that the brig had purposely altered her course to avoid them-In vain they pointed to a man going aloft, whom they could distinctly see,—and in vain they waved their jackets, and assisted the signal with speech-the time was slipping away, and if once they got abaft the beam of the brig, every se

cond would lessen the chance of being seen; besides, the sea breeze might come down, and then she would be far away, and beyond all hope in a quarter of an hour. Now was it that the man who had been so loudly lamenting his fate seemed suddenly inspired with fresh hope and courage; he looked attentively at the brig, then at his companion, and said, " By hea ven I'll do it, or we are lost!" "Do what?" said his shipmate. "Though," said the first man, "it is no trifle to do, after what we have seen and known; yet I will try, for if she passes us what can we do? I tell you Jack, I'll swim to her; if I get safe to her you are saved; if not, why I shall die without perhaps adding murder to my crimes." What! jump overboard and leave me all alone," replied his companion, "look, look at that shark which has followed us all night, why it's only waiting for you to get into the water to swallow you as it did perhaps half our messmates. No, no; do wait, perhaps another vessel may come; besides, I cannot swim half the distance, and I should be afraid to remain behind. Think, Tom, only think of the sharks, and of last night." This appeal staggered the determination of the gallant fellow. There, about twenty yards from the boat, was the fin of a shark, and now and then another and another might be seen. He looked at his enemies and then at himself. Certain death awaited him in the boat, perhaps heightened by crime; a chance of death awaited him in the sea, but there was hope to buoy him up. The time was flying, the breeze had begun to freshen a little; the brig was fast advancing, and hope was every minute growing less. Well," said he, "Jack, it comes to this, you see that if we wait we must die-if I get to the brig we must be saved. If the sharks-God Almighty protect me," said he, shuddering as he mentioned the word "should take me, and you live to get back again, you know where to remember me. I say Jack, it is no use being frightened to death; come, give us your hand, my last companion. I'll do it if it is to be done. Good bye. Now if you see those devils in chase of me, splash or make some noise to frighten them, but don't tell me that you see them coming; another shake of the hand; God bless you, Jack

keep your eye on me, and make signals to the brig. There," said he, putting his knife down, “ that might be of use to you, and here's my toggery, if I'm taken it's none the better for last night's swim," then falling on his kness and saying, “God protect me," he jumped overboard with as much calmness, as if he had been bathing in security. No sooner had he begun to strike out in the direction he intended, than his companion turned towards the sharks; the fins had disappeared, and it was evident that they had heard the splash and would soon follow their prey. It is hard to say who suffered the most anxiety: The one left in the boat cheered his companion, looked at the brig, and kept waving his jacket, then turned to watch the sharks

his horror may be imagined when he saw three of these terrific monsters swim past the boat, exactly in the direction of his companion; he splashed his jacket in the water to scare them away, but they seemed quite aware of the impotency of the attack, and lazily pursued their course. The man swam well and strongly; there was no doubt he would pass within hail of the brig, provided the sharks did not interfere, and he knowing that they would not be long in following him, kept kicking the water and splashing as he swam. **** It was not, however, until a great distance had been accomplished that the swimmer became apprised of his immediate danger, and saw by his side one of the terrific creatures. Still, however, he swam bravely and kicked; his mind was made up for the worst, and he had little hope of success. In the mean time the breeze had gradually freshened, and the brig passed with greater velocity through the water, every stitch of canvass was spread. To the poor swimmer the sails seemed bursting with the breeze, and as he used his utmost endeavours to propel himself, so as to cut off the vessel, the spray appeared to flash off from the bow, and the brig to fly through the sea. He was now close enough to hope his voice might be heard, but he hailed and hailed in vain. Not a soul was to be seen on deck, and the man who steered was too intent upon his avocation to listen to the voice of mercy. The brig passed, and the swimmer was every second getting further and further in the distance; every hope was

gone-not a ray of that bright divinity remained. The fatigue had nearly exexhausted him, and the sharks only waited the first quiet moment to swallow their victim. It was in vain he thought of returning to the boat, for he could never have reached her, and his companion had no means of assisting him. In the act of offering up his last prayer ere he made up his mind to float and be eaten, he saw a man look over the quarter of the brig; he raised both his hands, he jumped himself up in the water, and by the singularity of his motions, fortunately attracted notice. A telescope soon made clear the object. The brig was hove to, and a boat sent and the man saved. The attention of the crew was then awakened to the Magpie's boat; she was soon alongside, and thus through the exertions of as gallant a fellow as ever breathed, both were rescued from their perilous situation."

The following may be interesting as it refers to a well-known feat of our great and noble poet. We have heard so many and conflicting accounts of Lord Byron having swam across the Hellespont, that we were sore puzzled to sift the truth from the falsehood. Our Sailor has given an accurate account of this strange performance, and as it comes from an eye-witness, we may hope that at last we have come at "the truth, the whole truth," and what is more important, "nothing but the truth"

Enter the Sailor.

"It was about two in the afternoon, when we arrived at the place (Abydos) famous in poetry for Leander's love and folly. The English consul, at whose house we stopped to refresh man and horse, was an Italian Jew, married to a Greek woman, the progeny being about as mixed a breed as a turn-spit dog. He was the dirtiest consul I ever knew, and might have done excellently for consul-general in Hayti. The vermin, which even a Maltese woman dislodges from her child, crawled in careless security over his collar; we were glad enough to escape their contact, and although it is due to this dirty fellow to mention his hospitality, yet I should be sorry enough to be condemned to accept either his arm or his house. We took boat and repaired to Sestos, the strong fortification on the European side. It

blew fresh, and the constant rains and Easterly wind rendered the current stronger and the water colder than usual. I could not comprehend for what possible amusement we had crossed the Dardanelles, except it might have been to have visited a part of Europe and Asia, in a quarter of an hour. The sea-view of Abydos was not a likely reason, and we knew well enough that the jealous Turks, who had refused us admission into the fortress on the Asiatic side, would be just about as uncivil on the European shore. Whilst I was ruminating on the useless excursion, I saw Lord Byron in a state of nudity, rubbing himself over with oil, and taking to the water like a duck; his clothes were brought into the boat, and we were desired to keep near him, but not so near as to molest him. This was his first attempt at imitating Leander, of which he has made some remarks in the note to the lines, written on crossing the Hellespont. He complained instantly on plunging in of the coldness of the water, and he by no means relished the rippling which was caused by an eddy, not far from where he started. He swam well-decidedly well-the current was strong, the water cold, the wind high, and the waves unpleasant; these were fearful odds to contend against, and when he arrived about half-way across, he gave up the attempt, and was handed into the boat and dressed; he did not appear the least fatigued, but looked as cold as charity and white as snow; he was cruelly mortified at the failure, and did not speak one word until he arrived on shore; his look was that of an angry disappointed girl, and his upper lip curled like that of a passionate woman. I see it now as if it were but yesterday." After this failure he takes coffee and pipes on shorenot forgetting a caulker or two, and the second trial went forward as follows:"The next day was calm and warm, we had not a breath of wind, and ocean slumbered like an unweaned child.' Lord Byron was up early, and made arrangements for his second and more successful attempt at swimming the Hellespont. Mr. Ekenhead proposed to dispute the honour, and both gentlemen left the ship about nine o'clock and landed on the Europeon side. Above Sestos there is a narrow

point of land, which jets into the Dardanelles, and below Abydos there is a similar formation of coast, the point of the sandy bay on the Asiatic side pro jecting some distance. From point to point, that is, if they were opposite each other, the distance would be about a mile-certainly not more; but as the current is rapid, and it is impossible to swim directly across, the distance actually passed over would be between four or five miles. Mr. Ekenhead took the lead, and kept it the whole way; he was much the best swimmer of the two, and by far the more powerful man; he accomplished his task, according to Lord Byron, in an hour and five minutes; I timed him at an hour and ten minutes, and his Lordship at an hour and a quarter; both were fresh and free from fatigue, especially Ekenhead, who did not leave the water until Lord Byron arrived. As the distance has been much exaggerated, our great enemy, time, may be the best way of computing it. It is a well-known fact, that it must be a strong swimmer to accomplish a mile an hour. I have often seen it tried, and tried it myself. A mile an hour is a very fair estimation; and therefore making allowances for the time lost in floating, of which resource both availed themselves, the distance actually swam may be safely called a mile and no more-this is no very Herculean task." We quite agree with our Sailor, that the one mile is very poor way indeed, but he says a few sentences before, that the probable distance to be gone over would be about four miles or so on account of the current, which at the above rate would require four hours, the swimming heroes were only one hour in the water; and this with the before-mentioned sentence, seems to create a serious difficulty. We say seems, for we are sure, that the thing is but a mistake. Our last extract shall be one of a "tale on land," as our others have been "of flood." We are told of a precious pair of officers, but our sailor is not one of them, who commit the sacrilegious felony of stealing a brace of nuns; the scene of this awful affair is in St. Michael's in the Western Islands, and the first introduction of the amorous seamen to their run-away caras, is their being turned into a plate-warmer sort of a machine, and thus smuggled into the interior of

the convent "there they found two lovely creatures, with eyes like antelopes, and equally graceful in shape and step." The Captain being one of those gentlemen who always consider a convent a very improper place to be allowed to exist, and caring no more about the Lady Abbess than he did for a Capuchin Friar, availed himself of the favourable moment, and seized the hand of the youngest. She shrunk like a sensitive plant-a very proper emblem of the lady, her eyes expressing rather a feeling of pleasure than disgust, which was not lost upon the Captain. The companion stood at some distance watching, but by no means indicating or giving the least alarm; the situation was tempting, and who could resist? The eyes of the fair captive rested in watery wonder on the face of the bold intruder, and as he drew her white hand towards him, and bent his head forward to whisper some soft expression, the Nun made a similar motion, and instead of receiving a kind word she received a kiss, by no means the cold kiss of religion, but a "kiss of love, and youth, and beauty, all concentrated into one focus." The colour flew into her devotional face, and her heart beat with a quickened motion producing a sensation as pleasant as it was novel. In a moment the amorous Captain proposed to elope with her, but at that time, and in that dress it was impossible. Never did ear listen to the silver sounds of a seducer with more attention than did the lost Nun. Her only objection was leaving her friend behind. She was called, kissed, and entreated, and in three minutes all was arranged. The Lady Abbess was heard pacing the long corridor, the Captain was wheeled about, and religion, calm religion only, beamed on the countenances of the hypocritical Nuns. The Captain instantly repaired on board; two men were placed to make a rope ladder, the other duties of the ship were hurried over, and all the energies of the mea and officers in high requisition. At ten o'clock the ship weighed, and hove to in the bay, the Captain and First Lieutenant went on shore in the gig, and a little secresy was observed in regard to the Captain's cloak bag, of which, by some bungling, fell a cocked hat. The circumstance alone of those two officers being absent to

out