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124 his own door, soon gave an unwonted embrace to the dusky servant opening up from within.

At noon of the 29th, the thunders of the "Tacony's" guns sounded forth in national salutation of the Mexican flag displayed at the fort, the last echo being prolonged by answering peals from the south battery, where, gun for gun, the salute was immediately returned. Not many days elapsed before an opportunity was afforded to return this courtesy. On that glorious day of July, the advent of which makes the American heart beat proudly and fast, the "Tacony" "dressed ship" with festoons of signals and pennants all aloft, and fired the twenty-one gun salute with the stars and stripes floating from the masthead; in this she was accompanied by the guns of the Castle of San Juan de Uloa which, only nine days before, had threatened to sink her where she lay.

There was no other ship present to take part in these expressions of friendship. The Austrian had left on the 25th, as stated; the "Jason" had sailed for Jamaica a couple of days after the surrender, to coal and provision ship; and the "Phlégéton" had followed suit the next day.

Captain Aynesley, before leaving, sent a note, couched in very complimentary terms, to Captain Roe, asking him to care for British interests during his enforced absence. These two officers had formed quite an intimacy, not unnaturally, during