"رحلات من الهند إلى إنجلترا: تشمل زيارة إلى الإمبراطورية البورمية، رحلة عبر بلاد فارس، آسيا الصغرى، تركيا الأوروبية وغيرها، في السنوات ١٨٢٥-١٨٢٦، بقلم جيمز إدوارد أليكساندر" [‎٤‎٩] (٤١٢/١٠٢)

BURMAN EMPIRE. 49
which .refusing to shew colours, was consequently chased by the
Champion ; and after thirty shots had been fired at her, without her
bringing to, it fell dark and she escaped. She was afterwards
captured by a man-of-war, and proved to be an American, laden
with arms and warlike stores for the Burmese.
I may here reJate an amusing anecdote of the crew of the
ship whilst they were crossing the equator. They planted the
carpenter's-mate (a green-horn) on the jib-boom-end, with a great
hatchet in his fist, in order that he might cut the line, and let the
vessel pass. The lieutenant of the watch was let into the joke, and
every now and then he sung out from the quarter-deck : " Jib-boom
" there !"—" Sir ?" from Chips. " Are you all ready to cut away ?"
—" All ready. Sir."—" See you do it cleverly, then, boy"—
" Aye, aye. Sir." After some time: " Can you see it yet ?"—
" In half a minute. Sir."—" Keep a good look-out!"—" Aye, aye,
" Sir." And thus was the unfortunate carpenter's-mate kept astride
the boom for half the day. On the same solemn occasion, Neptune
and his crew being a long time in coming aft, the captain inquired
what they were about. " Shaving the figure-head. Sir, and making
" the ship free :" and so the fact was ; they lathered and shaved the
old Champion's chin in due form, as the vessel had not before
crossed the equator.
We got on very well until the 16th, when it fell calm, with light
airs morning and evening: the weather during the day was excessively
hot. On the 20th a nice little breeze carried us on at the rate of
ten knots. We got soundings with forty fathoms line, and changed
our course from north-west to west. On the following day we saw
h the