Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/434

414 week before our arrival, being out on a party of pleasure to one of the quays with which the town is environed; the boat having been upset by the breakers, and the survivors being of opinion that they saw the poor man carried away by a shark. Whether these circumstances had any effect upon the sailors of Belize, who were probably not less superstitious than those of other parts, it cannot be determined, but it afterwards appeared that there were only four hands engaged out of the twelve necessary to man her, at the time I took my passage. She was, however, obliged to sail on the 15th, as the hurricane season was commencing: the other vessels sailed on the 1st, but the Margaret was allowed a fort-night later by her insurers, on account, as I was informed, of being so fine a sailer. The interval which I spent at Belize was now employed in collecting such information respecting the nature of its trade as might bear upon the connexion it had with Guatemala.