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window, and saw that the town was on fire, and that the conflagration was raging around the very spot where I was sleeping. It was the blowing up of a house in the vicinity that had suddenly aroused me. The wind blew high, and the flame, rolling on in broad sheets, was spreading from house to house. My hotel was evidently burning! It may well be supposed that I did not gaze long. I rushed toward my door, but at the very moment I recollected the lady near me. I paused-I confess it but it was only a pause-whether I should not save myself. What, leave a helpless woman! never!' I knocked violently at her door-this was not a time for ceremony; I tried with all my strength to force an entry, but in vain; the door resisted my utmost efforts. Meanwhile the light became more and more bright, and the noise of the crowd increased below, as if nearer and more numerous. I sprung to my door, and found it closed; I remembered well, locking it before going to bed, and taking the key out, but had utterly forgot ten where I had put it. After attempt ing to burst it open with my foot, I essayed with a chair, and then a table, till both were shivered into fragments, without as much as shaking the solid fastenings. I relaxed my exertions, exhausted and bathed in perspiration. Once more I went to the window to try and ascertain my exact situation. I discovered that the conflagration was rapidly hemming me in, and that they were actively plying fire-engines, and now and then blowing up houses to try to arrest its progress. As I could see by the light that the street below was crowded with people, I determined to call for assistance. The window-sashes closed by a construction that I did not understand, and my efforts to open them were unavailing. In my impatience I dashed both hands through the panes of glass, and though severely cut by them, I felt no pain at the time. The smoke poured in so dense and hot through the aperture I had made, that I had to retire; but reaching the window a second time, I called loudly for aid. Amid the clamour of voices and the roaring of the flames, a cannon could scarcely have been heard. I hallooed till I was aware that it was in vain, and the stifling vapour drove me from my position.

amid excruciating and protracted torments! I sank down on my bed in despair. The black smoke that had dashed against my window, was now mingled with gushes of dark-red flame, that shivered the remaining panes, and covered the room with a murky cloud. 'Good heavens !' I exclaimed, it is all over! I have nothing to do but die like a man.' My eyes, irritated by the va pour, were filled with tears, and I could no longer distinguish objects; my body was scorching, and I panted for breath, inhaling at every respiration a poisoned atmosphere. At this time a loud splash rattled through the shivered panes, and I was deluged with a shower of water. The fire-engines were playing on the house, and the streams had penetrated my chamber. By the sudden affusion of cold water I was restored to life, and with it to hope. The air of the room was more clear and freshened. Once more I arose, resolved to make another effort at preservation. I seized the tongs and poker, and tried to force back the locks of the two doors. My strength seemed to increase with my desperation. I toiled till the skin was rubbed from my before lacerated hands, and they were bathed in blood. It was all useless, and hope died thoroughly within Almost fainting, I staggered back against the wall. In that position I saw my reflection in a large Psyche, and in spite of my absorbing situation, I was appalled at my appearance. My eyes were haggard and blood-shotten; my hair, bedewed with perspiration, hung in lank spikes; my lips were black and parched, and the pallidness of my skin was frightfully contrasted with spots of soot, and streaks of gore from my bleeding hands.

me.

such cases a layer of pure air near the floor, and I threw myself on my face. In fact I did breathe more freely there. I listened for human accents or movements in the house, but heard none. All at once the noise of the crowd subsided, and from the few occasional shouts through speaking-trumpets, I understood that the house was about to be blown up. I almost felt relieved to think that this would speedily terminate my dreadful fate. While thus extended on the floor, my eye caught the door-key near me. I remembered afterward having hung it on a nail just above, from whence it had fallen. A ray of hope rushed into my mind. I seized the key and gained the door; but the dense, sulphureous medium into which I rose, overpowered my exhausted frame. I reeled round, and fell senseless. I only remember that as I sprang from the floor, it seemed to me I heard something like footsteps and voices, and that as I fell, a loud crash rang in my ears.

"How long I lay insensible I know not. When I recovered, I found myself on a bed in a handsome room, a gentleman in black, who I afterward discovered was a physician, close by me, and several servants around. As soon as I moved, he begged me to remain quiet, and indeed I had no other inclination. I felt as if there was scarcely force in me to inhale or expire my breath. I had achings in my limbs and a soreness along my veins, especially in my arms; but the worst of all was a most insufferable nausea.

The burns were inconsiderable. My head was bathed in Cologne water, leeches applied to my chest, and iced water given me to drink, till finally the irritability of my stomach was allayed. It was, however, three days before I was restored to any thing like comfort. Even then I was as weak as a child, but the disease was conquered. I had made many attempts to question my attendants, and they had as often positively refused to talk with me. When they saw me really convalescent, my queries were satisfied. How had I been saved? Who had thought of the stranger, when every one was intent on his own safety and that of his property? Who but woman, weak, timid woman, who, careless to the impulses of ambition, perils all when she can serve humanity! My lovely neighbour had been awakened by her father a few minutes before, and hurried off to a place of safety. As soon as the inmates of the hotel were assembled, and she saw that one was

missing, that I was not there, she beseeched the firemen, the landlord, the officers, her old father, to save me. They declared with one voice that the attempt was useless-madness. Hardly had her father left her to look after his trunks, when again she begged and implored the firemen, until moved by her tears and a full purse, two of the strongest and most resolute offered to go. But who was to shew them the way? Before the question could well be asked, she rushed before them, while a scream was heard from every one near her. She led the way to the room she had so lately occupied, now almost as dark as night with smoke. The firemen recoiled till they saw her still press on. A sturdy blow from their axes, and the door flew in shivers. A fireman rushing in, raised my lifeless body on his shoulders, while at the same time his companion had to catch up and bear off the heroic girl, who had sunk on the floor the moment she had seen my prostrate form. And where is my preserver?' I exclaimed, when I had heard the history. 'She is in the same hotel where you are at present,' said the physician; but with her delicate frame, her convalescence cannot be as rapid as yours.' The first use, you may rest assured, that I made of my returning health, was to visit one to whom I owed every thing. With my ardent gratitude, I should have been fascinated had I found her less beautiful, or less amiable; as it was, I found her an angel. I will not tire you with the details of what may seem to you a mawkish love-story of common romance. Suffice it to say, that awful night, which still makes my blood run cold, made me what I still am-a happy husband.

No. 55.

BY TYRONE POWER,

sinking to pumping, we at length happily arrived, dropping our anchor in the harbour of St. Jago; and here we discovered we were likely to quarter for some time, the ship requiring a complete

SECRET," ETC.

A few years back it was my hard fortune to be penned, for four months, on board a transport taken up to convoy to glory and the liver-complaint, some two hundred soldiers and thirteen officers, being detachments of four different regiments serving in his majesty's Indian territories.

In this "glory-box," as the soldiers not unaptly christened the ship, after getting a terrible clawing in a gale of wind in the Western ocean, we hauled in for the "Cape de Verds," where, by keeping the soldiers on constant fatigue duty, for I verily think if left to them selves, the villains would have preferred

rade to join me, I got through two days, by rattling over the island, after my Tartar fashion, much to the astonishment of the Portuguese of all colours, who I fancy set us down for mad; and not without some reason, when it is considered we were pelting up and down their arid sand-hills, with the thermometer at one hundred.

When this course was over, we had nothing left for it but to stay frizzling and playing whist to the accompaniment of the carpenter's hammer, on board our prison ship, or to pass the day in social chat, with a very agreeable pirate crew, who occupied a cage-like den, adjoining the guard-house, and employed themselves in making cigars for the use of their visitors, handing them through the grating, with a hospitality and benevolence of manner quite enchanting. These were gay, lively, good-humoured-look

ing robbers, such as it would be quite a pleasure to have one's throat cut by chaps that would hand a man over a ship's side, to walk the plank, with the hearty squeeze of the fist, and give him a cigar to light himself to the bottom by. This was certainly the pleasantest society of the city of St. Jago, and I fancy the most exclusive; the gentlemen were perfectly unembarrassed about their fate, feeling pretty confident that before the Portuguese authorities would decide on their condemnation, they would be once more at large, rocking on their ocean-mother's breast. Their schooner had been run ashore on the island of May, by a British sloop-of-war, and there they left her, well knowing it was more their interest to surrender to the Portuguese government, than to his Britannic majesty's sloop. The governor's schooner had, a few days before our arrival, gone down to wait for, and bring up the captain of this gentle crew, who was reported as badly wounded; and this captain, I felt a vast curiosity to become acquainted with, having learnt that he was a countryman, through a servant of mine, who had made a confidential acquaintance with the soi-disant Spanish cook of the crew; a fellow with a red head, a Celtic phiz, and a Munster brogue as rich as buttermilk.

In the harbour was an American ship bound down to this same island for salt; so by way of killing time, and satisfying our curiosity, two of us resolved to take a passage in her, and come back in the governor's schooner, which was to return in about six days. Accordingly, on board we went; and on a fine moonlight night, or rather morning, stood with the land breeze on our beam, out of the harbour of St. Jago. Our first-mate was an Englishman, with whom I had, on several occasions, whilst roaming about the town, held sundry palavers; his name was Tibbs, and a more thorough-going tar, of the old school, I have seldom encountered. He abominated steam, and all recent inventions connected with his profession. Although a sober man, he had a positive love for grog, and a superlative contempt for the temperance society; the which, looking at it as of American origin, was, as Mr. Tibbs said, "a fashion he could by no means understand; seeing that the people were no fools, that rum was both good and plenty in the States, besides very drinkable whiskey, and noways dear

withal."

He was, like most old sailors, a bit of a grumbler, and, as I soon discovered, no

great lover of America, or American ships, although he frankly admitted, that they were clipping boats, well found, and capitally provisioned; good-living being a first-rate consideration with all tars, who are greater gourmands in their way, than the uninitiated imagine. The merits of American sailors, also, he admitted with equal frankness; yet still, after all this, it was pretty plain he had no absolute love for his present mess. I at once saw by his manner there was some mystery lurking in Mr. Tibbs's mind, and this I inwardly resolved, if possible, to fathom before we parted.

On our second night out, coming upon deck during the first watch, I found my ancient friend more than usually wroth, muttering all sorts of expletives against Yankee ships, and Yankee crews: as in this mood he paced by my side, I ventured to observe, that it struck me as odd to find him hanging on so long in a service he disliked; since, if I rightly understood him, he had been in it for six years at the least.

"Well!" said the old boy, turning shortly round on me, thrusting his hands deep into the pockets of his pea-jacket, and pausing for full half a minute, during which he chewed "the cud of sweet and bitter fancies," and his huge quid of Cavendish together-" well, now, that is reason too, Mr. Thompson, and yet after all, you'd say my logic about the matter is none so bad, if you know'd how the land lays-seeing that I can't help myself no how."

"Not help yourself, Mr. Tibbs?" I exclaimed, purposely throwing a little quiet surprise into my query. Why, how is that? I should have thought that a thorough-going seaman like you, might sail under any flag he chose to lift his hat to."

"Not if I was to be hanged for it, can I get clear of the stars and stripes of these Yankees, any more than if my only shirt Iwas made out of a bit o' their buntin'. By jingo, I begin to think sometimes that I'm clinched to it for life."

Again we resumed our walk, and a pause occurred, which I was fearful to break with any direct question, knowing well that no yarn is half so good as that which is yielded voluntarily from the full fraught bosom. I felt I had got him on the right tack, and considered it best to give him his own way.

Having surveyed the clouds awhile, and consulted the dog-vane, he crossed the deck, hailing the watch, with "Step along here, some of ye, and square away

the yards-let go the buntlines afore; come aft."

The sleepy" Ay, ay, sir," was succeeded by the tramp of the watch, lazily; straggling along the waste, and handling the rigging, until the yards being duly adjusted from main to sky-sail, back

rolled Mr. Tibbs to where I stood leaning against the rail, enjoying my cigar.

"Will you try one, old boy?" asked I, perceiving at a glance that he was big with his story.

"Thank ye, sir," responded Tibbs, and to it we went-puff, puff.

"Clippers in light winds, these American craft, Tibbs!" I muttered between the puffs, deliberately leading back to the old ground, where I felt assured there lay good sport, if I could only rouse it. "They are all that," puffed Mr. Tibbs, in response, "and no want o'rags-I will say,"-puff, puff,-" carry on's the word with them, through all weathers; they never mind makin' a few stu'n-sail booms, because why, you see, spars is as cheap as molasses among 'em, and uncommon pretty spars their yellow pine makes surely, as ever clean cloth was bent on to."

Here followed several long satisfactory puffs; whilst, under cover of the smoke, on I pressed with, "Then you really admit that they do possess some good points, these Yankee ships- eh, Mr. Tibbs?"

"There is no better swims salt water, depend upon, Mr. Thompson," promptly answered the mate, with the air of a man resolute to do justice, in defiance of his prejudices, "nor none better found in every way, that I'll say for them as long as I live."

"Then why, in the name of wonder, do you appear so anxious to quit them, eh, my old friend?"

"Why, in the first place, because I'm a Briton born and bred, and like old England better than I ever can America. In the next place," and here the old man's voice dropped a note or two," because I've gotten a sister, and a little slip of a girl, a daughter of my own, living about four mile off Falmouth. But, mostly of all, I do really believe because I can't get away for life."

"Can't get away!" I muttered, "what, are you then chained to America, Mr. Tibbs?"

"Fast as a Carolina nigger!" rapped out Tibbs, in his former very emphatical

tone.

"As how, and by what means?" asked I, really becoming anxious to hear how

the old tar had become possessed of this odd notion, with the which he was evidently most seriously imbued.

"All along o' being twice cast away, Mr. Thompson," mournfully sighed Tibbs, whilst, in my most encouraging way, I cried,

"Well, now clap on, old messmate, and tell us all about it."

"It's a long yarn," says Tibbs, in a deprecatory tone, evidently most desirous to spin it off to one towards whom, as a countryman, and a piece of a sailor, he felt some sympathy.

"Never mind, but lay along the sooner," returned I, quite as willing to listen, as my companion, despite of all his coquetry, was to talk. After a finishing puff or two at his cigar, therefore, he passed the back of his hand across his lips, and with a half smirk on his weatherbeaten phiz, began

:

"Mr. Thompson-it's a queer story; though, to be sure, I'll be bound it will make you laugh to think o' my being such a fool; but howsomever you shall have it, end for end. Well, you see, it was in the year 1816, I sailed mate of a Liverpool ship, bound for Sable Island, and an uncommon tidy run we had for about fifteen days, when, just as we got to the westward o' the Banks, we fell in with unaccountable foul weather,―rain, and hail, and wind, and fog, and more of all on 'em than we much cared for; however, we kept on, making westing, in hopes o' gettin' a southerly blow, out of all this dirt, till at last down it came all of a lump, tails up, a regular roarer, about nor'-nor'-east. The first thing as happened partic'lar, was, just as we had clew'd up top-gallant-sails, away went our main-topsail-yard in the slings. 'O Lord!' squeals our skipper, shootin' up the companion, and clappin' his two fins fast together; what shall we do, sinners as we is !' No sooner said, than puff, away flies the foresail and foretopsailyard-jam goes the skipper's two fins together agin, chock-block!--but afore he could rap out a single word this time, snap, snap, flies cross-jack-yard, and mizzen-top-mast; and with that, out bolts his O Lord! with half a dozen little saints tack'd on to it for this last spell. Our skipper, you must know, was one o' your new-fashioned sea-saints, a regular white-o'-my-eye chap, as read the Bible in his berth all day Sundays, and got drunk every blessed afternoon on shoushong-tea, with a trifle o' brandy in it by way o' milk; and yet, if you'd believe his long yarn, he'd as soon ha' toasted