terrorise and drive every white person
off the island and make it their own. Although most of them had been
brought up in the Catholic religion, it was said that they had all
reverted to heathenism, and were addicted to the practice of voodooism,
snake worship, and other hideous barbaric rites.

But although the physique of the men was good enough, I did not think
very much of their equipment. It appeared that about every fourth man
of them carried a firearm of some kind, with powder flask suspended by a
cord round his neck, and bullet pouch attached to his belt, while the
remainder carried cutlasses, pikes, and, in some cases, axes, cane
knives, or even scythe blades lashed to the end of long poles.

Having learned as much of the approaching enemy as it was possible for
me to ascertain without exposing myself to the risk of capture by having
my retreat cut off, I retired in good order to the house, pausing at the
detached kitchen on my way, and ordering Mama Elisa and Teresita to
hasten at once to the house, with such provisions as they had been able
to prepare. I waited until they were fairly on the way, and then set
fire to the place, for it was within about sixty yards of the house, and
would have afforded excellent cover for a dozen sharpshooters who, from
its shelter, might have galled us rather severely. It was a flimsy
structure, the walls built of wattles plastered with mud, while the roof
was of thatch; by the time, therefore, that I reached the house it was
blazing furiously, and a quarter of an hour later was a mere heap of
smouldering ashes.

The sight of the blazing kitchen caused the approaching outlaws to raise
a shout of triumph--possibly they were under the impression that the
building had been fired by some of the negroes belonging to the estate
who were about to join forces with them and had already begun the work
of destruction--but when they saw me retiring toward the house their
shouts quickly changed their note from triumph to anger, and several of
them who carried guns halted, dropped on one knee, and proceeded to take
pot shots at me. A few of their bullets came quite near--indeed, much
too near to be pleasant; but the bulk of them flew wide, and I made good
my retreat to the house, untouched, and was at once admitted by my
friends, who immediately proceeded to block up with sand-bags the
aperture by which I had entered.

The moment that the motley army of our assailants came close eno