We had been told, at the office of the steam-boat, that the captain was preparing to set off at five in the morning, instead of twelve, as had been proposed, on account of having to stop at Sevastopol, to take up a company of players. My companions very prudently proposed going on board in the evening, lest we might oversleep ourselves, and miss the appointed fifth hour, but it happened that I did not hear of the plan till I was half undressed, and just on the point of stepping into a delightful, clean, comfortable bed. The surf was roaring without — the boat lay far out in the roadstead. I had not for a long time had a regular night's rest in a bed, and as I, for my part, felt quite sure of not oversleeping myself, the evil spirit of sloth and self-indulgence overcame me, and I determined to sleep ashore. The rest of the company, feeling their courage fail them, as they listened to the noise of the sea, and thought of the rocking vessel, were induced to do the same. The landlord also declared it was of no consequence— he would be sure to call us all in time. We slept quietly enough ; but in the morning, when I awoke, just as the clock pointed to four, the landlord rushed into the room, exclaiming, " The damned Englishman is gone — is off! He went on board quite drunk last night, and got the steam up immediately !" We rushed down to the shore in a state of desperation, and would not believe our eyes ; yet strain them as we might, we coiUd perceive no Peter the Great. The sea was as smooth as a mirror, aud the black chimney was sought for in vain. On the shore lay packages of goods, as if they had been landed from a wreck, and passengers were running up and down the harbour, in the most violent state of excitement. Some were official persons, whose leaves of absence had expired ; one was a lady in immediate expectation of her lying-in, which was to have taken place in Odessa, but would now, in all probability, happen in Little Tartary, in the midst of all sorts of inconveniences and privations. " How could this Englishman dare to play the public such a trick?"' was the general question. " Ah, he does whatever comes into his head !" said the landlord. My two companions, whose business admitted of no delay, immediately procured horses, in order to ride over the mountains to Sevastopol, and, if they failed in catching the rogue of a captain, before he left that place, to continue their jom'ney by land ; but, as I felt extremely unwell, I chose what I thought the least of two evils, and made up my mind to remain fourteen days, till the return of the boat, thinking myself fortunate to escape the reproaches I merited, for having been, in some measure, the cause of the misfortune.
My hopes of employing the period of my compulsory stay in the Crimea in various excursions were frustrated by the attacks of an illness, which confined me to my bed for eight days. My only consolation was derived from some volumes of Goethe, from the friendly attentions of a German apothecary, who was so land as to receive me into his house, and from the visits of an educated Russian, who used to come in the evening, and talk with me of the Caucasus and other distant countries, where he had held an appointment under government.
In due time I found myself once more on board the great Peter, and, to my surprise, recognized almost all my old acquaintance, who had been so loud in their protestations that they would never set foot in the steam-boat again. The weather was so beautifully fine, that few of the male passengers experienced any other inconvenience than an increase of appetite, and in four-and-twenty hours, a great part of which was spent very sociably in telHng pleasant stories, and drinking to the prosperity of the Crimea, we entered the harbour of Odessa — the ties of friendship, so newly knit, were snapped asunder, and our agreeable party dispersed to all the points of the compass.