Ships were lost during these dark voyages, and said to have had the luck of the one at one end, and the other at the other end. Two Portuguese vessels were lost on their return from Macassar to Portugal, and six Spanish vessels on their way home. Two ships came home safely; but they were too late for trading in the Far East. The sailors who have been to the East Indies and experienced their perils, prefer to stay there. A few years ago a Portuguese captain of one of the ships that came from Brazil to Lisboa by the South Sea, and home again by the North, related to the writer the story of one of the voyages home. It may give the reader an idea of the difficulties the hardy Portuguese navigators have to contend with, and the courage required. The ship, which had on board a crew of 150 men, was bound to India, with a cargo of pepper. There were ten days' rain, accompanied by a strong gale; the ship was blown from her course, and for four days drifted, her keel and top-sail all sprung, and her masts and rigging partly damaged, and for one night she was close to a rock which rose out of the sea like an island. There were but forty days of provisions, and during the four days' storm, there was not an anchor of sufficient strength to hold a ship's kedge and small tackle. This part of the work of the ship's company, consisted in the cutting up of an old anchor. When the wind subsided the captain made his way for some weeks along the coast in a thick fog, and then entered the Portuguese straits. In making these coasts the captain was almost despairing, when one day he saw before him a vessel on a sand-bank. She did not see them. There were fifteen men on board this vessel. She had been anchored, and her sailors had gone away and found her no longer a safe anchorage. She was bound to the East Indies, but was driven back on the coast of Brazil, where she anchored. Some of her crew, when this vessel came in sight, swam ashore to ascertain who or what she was, but the captain and some of the crew were in the cabin. When they came to the vessel they swam back again and told her story. The captain was overjoyed, and ordered the sailors to come on board, and told them he would make them masters of a rich vessel, from which, by taking the best of everything, they would get all that they could spend. She was a fine vessel, of two hundred tons, and with four hundred weight of pepper on board. The captain and crew determined to go on board the pirate. A boat was lowered, and twenty-five men put on board. The vessel was anchored abreast of a Portuguese fort. It was Sunday morning, and a large church bell was heard in the fort, and soon after the men came to the fort, where the Governor asked them who they were. The captain said that they belonged to a ship, of two hundred tons, which had a cargo of pepper, and which, having sprung her masts and top-sails, and been blown off from her course, and had been eight days flying the sea without any one knowing where she was, they had lost their provisions and water, and were on the point of perishing with hunger. "What right have you to sail on board another's vessel?" said the Governor. "We will not take her," said the captain. "You must," said the Governor. "We will fight," said the captain, who was a little man of great courage. "If you are so disposed you shall, but I fear you will find it very hard to manage a large vessel of this kind." In a short time, the Governor gave the captain orders to board the vessel. At sunrise the men all landed and the vessel was boarded and seized. They took their anchor and cables and rigged up a jury mizen; they then got out the anchors and cables they had on board and made an anchor fast to the main-mast, and in about three hours they got all the sails up, hoisted the English ensign, and set sail. The crew sailed in the long-boat, so as to command the vessel; two others of the pirates, or captain and his two friends, remained on board the captain's vessel. All was now quiet and still. The Portuguese man of war sailed with the vessel. There was a short consultation about the vessel, and to what port they would carry her. "To Macassar," said the captain. "Where is that place? I know the place," said the Governor, "from having been there, and know it to be a very bad place." The captain said he had given her up for lost, and that he had made every effort to get back. "I will give you my advice," said the Governor; "I have been there, and I can tell you, the place is not a place of safety, and I have advised those who were going there not to go, and I now tell you not to go there." The captain thought it best not to go, but determined to try what could be done; and as he thought it was certain death to him, he asked leave to bury his gold, which was valuable, and take it with him. The captain and his crew went away and left the vessel, and the pirate crew, consisting of seven persons, one of them the captain's wife, the other a brother, and a Portuguese man, with a black woman and a little girl, came on board. They went into the captain's cabin and found the gold, which consisted of small coin, was in a sack, which was well secured. Two days passed; a heavy storm came on, and they thought the devil was with them, and if they were wrecked it was not his will. They wished themselves in their own vessel. During the night, they had all got into the same cabin, and placed themselves in three rows of beds with a table before each bed. In the morning, they gave the pirates three hundred dollars each to get the vessel to the shore. The captain stood at the side of the cabin, looking for some one to come off the vessel, and to his surprise, saw a large ship coming up and standing close to the vessel. He looked, and saw the Governor of the fort of Macassar, who said, "Is there any Englishman on board the vessel?" The captain said, "I am on board." The Governor said, "There is a vessel about two miles distant. It is not the devil; we have had a vessel here; we have been at war with the Portugals, and sent a vessel to cruise off the coast; she lies two miles off and is very near the mouth of this river. They will not get any vessel from this to Macassar. They will be surprised to see us." The Governor then sent for two other vessels, one of which was a man-of-war, and he sent some of his men on board the vessel. They went on board. The captain and his friends got out of the vessel, and threw down the anchors to hold her fast, and the pirates began to throw all their things into a boat. They threw some bales of goods into the boat, and, taking out a bottle of wine, drank their farewell to the vessel. As the boat came along the shore, the crew took off their clothes and threw them down. When they got near the Governor, he came to them with a white flag, and asked them what they were doing. They told him they were sailors and English, and had escaped from a pirate ship. "Why did you leave her?" said the Governor. "We wished to go to another vessel." "Have you all that you had on board?" said the Governor. "Yes." "You must give me some papers that are in your possession." He ordered them to get on shore. Two men from the man-of- war came on board, and all the crew were taken into the fort, and put in the guard house; the Governor went to the Governor of the fort where they were, and requested he would send out two men to help them if they were not able to take care of the men. The Portuguese Governor said he would be glad to do so, and sent a guard-house keeper, who seized upon the captain. The Governor then went on board the vessel, and sent a boat with two men from the fort, to bring off all that there was of value that was on board. The captain then went below and put all the money he had on him, except six dollars, in a small iron box, and gave it to the Governor. He then sent his wife below; he then ordered his friends, who had been brought on shore, to get on board the vessel. In a short