they made. In a moment I knew
what had happened--my husband's ship had been captured by the French
privateer of which Captain Freeman had told us, and the Frenchmen were
now coming to seize our other selves lying anchored in the lagoon.

"Tati looked at me inquiringly.

"'Run,' I said, 'run and tell Uasi (for so the natives called Captain
Watts) that the master and his ship have been captured by an enemy, who
will be upon him very quickly, for the boat and two of the canoes he has
sent out have been destroyed, and every one in them killed. Tell him I
am coming.'

"The boy darted away in a moment, and I followed him as quickly as I
could; but Tati reached the harbour and was on board Watts' schooner
quite half an hour before me, and when I went on board I found the
vessel was prepared to defend the entrance to the harbour. Captain
Watts had swung her broadside on to the entrance, boarding nettings were
already triced up from stem to stern, and on the schooner's decks were
fifty determined natives, in addition to the usual crew of twenty men,
all armed with muskets and cutlasses. The four 6-pounders which she
carried, two on each side, were now all on the port side, loaded with
grape-shot, and in fact every preparation had been made to fight the
ship to the last. Watts met me as soon as I stepped on board, and told
me that before my messenger Tati had arrived to warn him he had heard
the sound of the firing at sea, and at once surmised that something was
wrong.

"'Soon after you left the house, Mrs. Eury, some natives sighted the two
vessels to the north-east and I sent the boatswain and four men off in
one of the whale-boats, little thinking that I was sending them to their
death. Four canoes went with the boat. Just now two of the canoes came
back with half of their number dead or wounded, and the survivors told
me that as soon as they were within musket-shot both the ships opened
fire on them, sunk the boat and two of the canoes with grape-shot, and
then began a heavy musketry fire. I fear, madam, that Captain Eury and
his ship----'

"'Your fears are mine, Watts,' I said, 'but whether my husband is alive
or dead, let us at least try and save this vessel.'

"'Ay, ay, madam. And if we have to give up the ship, we can beat them
off on shore. There are a hundred or more natives lying hidden at the
back of the oil shed, and if the Frenchmen capture this vessel they will
cover our retreat ashore. They are all armed wi