CHAPTER IX.

There is a tradition that Queen Elizabeth was so amuzed with the character of Sir John Falstaff, that she expressed a desire that Shakespear would exhibit him in love. We have no doubt that many Queen Elizabeth's are almost bursting with a desire to see the hero of these adventures in love. We are truly sorry that we cannot exhibit him in this interesting light. An old writer says:

"There is no argument of more antiquity and elegancy than is the matter of love; for it seems to be as old as the world, and to bear date from the first time that man and woman was; therefore in this, as in the finest metal, the freshest wits have in all ages shown their best workmanship."

Now we regret exceedingly, we repeat, that we are not permitted to show our hero in love; and for two particular reasons which we will specify, viz: First, we wish to gratify the ladies,

whom it is for every man's interest and happiness to please: Second, we wish to try our brush at a genuine love picture; we burn to display our sensibility and that of our hero. There is little to inspire us in the rough-andtumble adventures we have endeavored to record. There is a want of finish about a man's life who has never been subject to the soft passion, something alien in his aspect; and we cannot sympathise with him as we otherwise should.

We presume, however, that our hero has been truly in love, in more than one instance; and we have a right so to presume, for just before his last voyage to the coast of Africa, he was married to a beautiful Portugese girl, only fourteen years old. You may judge young reader, and old one too, if you please, whether he was in love or not. All we can say is, if he was not he must have been a cold hearted brute. It is said that the course of true love never did run smooth, (we suppose the poet meant both before and after marriage,) and it did not in our friend Elliot's case. The story is a sad and tragical one. The girl was an orphan,and was adopted by a wealthy old gentleman, who

son, some four or five

was very fond of her and treated her with as much kindness as if she had been his own child. He had also an adopted years older than the girl. This fellow it seems, had conceived a passion for this fair girl, and wished to marry her. Our friend John was more suscessful in winning her love, and she gave him with her affections, her hand. Previous, however, to her marriage with our hero, her rejected lover threatened to take her life in case she should marry Elliott. Her adopted father and mother were pleased to smile graciously on their union, and gave her, as a marriage dowry a small romantic cottage with two slaves, a boy and girl. Our hero was in what was there termed respectable standing, and well to do in regard to pecuniary matters, as he had received pretty "tall" wages in the slave business. He had then accumulated about twelve hundred dollars, which he had placed in his wife's father's hands for safe keeping, as he wisely enough had some msgivings as to his own financial abilities. He had for a long time made the old man his banker.

Our hero was now quite happy. Blessed as he was with a young and tender wife, and with

an abundance of this world's goods, how conld he be otherwise! His family consisted of himself and wife, an aunt of the latter, who had come to reside with them, and the two slaves before mentioned. Elliott had made up his mind to go no more to sea, and his father in law assured him he should want for nothing as long as he had anything.

"But thousand things there are that hate

To look on happiness!"

Satan is chief among that thousand things "that hate to look on happiness," else he would not have obtruded his meddling, hateful visage into "Eden's bonny yard," to interrupt the bliss of our primeval ancestor, and his beautiful tho' somewhat curious lady. He looked too with envious eye on the happiness of our hero, and put it into the head of one of the slave captains to urge him to go one more voyage with him to the coast after slaves. In an evil moment, induced by a very liberal offer of wages, our hero shipped, without first consulting his wife. This happened about two months after his marriage. Mrs. Elliott was much pained at the prospect of his leaving her, and tried to dissuade him from going. She now for

the first time informed him of Francisco's (for that was the unsuccessful lover's name,) threat to murder her should she marry his rival, and she said she was fearful he would carry his threat into execution should her husband leave her. When our hero received this startling information, he deeply regretted that he had shipped. He went to the captain and tried to plead off, telling him that his wife was utterly unreconciled to his going. But the captain was inexorable, and went to see Mrs. Elliott; and by telling her a plausible yarn, she yielded at last a reluctant consent to his going the voyage.

The ship being ready, our hero went aboard with a heavy heart. He had a dim presentiment that he should never behold his wife again. But his friends advised him to go, as he would never have a better chance to make money, for that was the last year they would be allowed to go to the coast after slaves.

The ship set sail with a fair wind, which soon wafted them out of sight of land. They were gone eight months, in which time nothing noteworthy happened aboard. They returned safe to Rio Janeiro. After they had come to anchor, sails furled, and decks cleared up, our hero got