Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/449

CH. XXXII.] at 98°, and a dead calm which made it easy for pirates to row up to us and impossible for us to escape, should they be inclined to attack us, rendered our situation any thing but agreeable. To add to my comfort, I had been presented, on my departure from Belize, with some English newspapers; in the shipping accounts of which I had the satisfaction of reading some delectable specimens of the proceedings of these marauders: one I remember was particularly striking, respecting a circumstance which had taken place, a few months before, at the Bay of Matanzas, which spot, if we were fortunate enough, we might expect to be off in the course of twenty-four hours:—it was, that a vessel about 300 tons burthen was found stranded within three miles of that port: she had been plundered and skuttled, and the decks were strongly marked with blood, and it was added, "It is supposed that all hands were murdered." There was something so unbecoming and unsatisfactory in