quarters. Their violent animosity, however,
against us and our evil doings induced them to follow close at our
heels, keeping up a galling irregular fire, and endeavouring to detain
us until we might be overpowered by their numbers, every minute
increasing, for the whole country had been raised, and were flocking in.
This our captain was well aware of, and therefore made all the haste
that he could, without disturbing the regularity of his retreat, to
where our boats were lying, as should they be surprised and cut off our
escape would have been impossible. Notwithstanding all his care,
several of our men were separated from us by the intricacies of the
wood, or from wounds which they had received, and which prevented them
from keeping up with us. At last, after repelling many attacks, each
time more formidable than the preceding, we gained our boats, and
embarking with the greatest precipitation we put off for the schooner.
The enemy, emboldened by our flight, flocked down in great numbers to
the water's edge, and we had the mortification to hear our stragglers
who had been captured imploring for mercy; but groans and then silence
too plainly informed us that mercy had been denied.

Captain Weatherall was so enraged at the loss of his men that he ordered
us to pull back and attack the enemy on the beach, but we continued to
pull for the schooner, regardless of his threats and entreaties. A
panic had seized us all, as well it might. We even dreaded the
ill-aimed and irregular fire which they poured upon us, which under
other circumstances would have occasioned only laughter. The schooner
had been anchored only two hundred yards from the beach, and we were
soon on board. They continued to fire from the shore, and the balls
passed over us. We put a spring upon our cable, warped our broadside to
the beach, and loading every gun with grape and cannister we poured a
whole broadside upon our assailants. From the shrieks and cries, the
carnage must have been very great. The men would have reloaded and
fired again, but the captain forbade them, saying, "We have done too
much already." I thought so too. He then ordered the anchor to be
weighed, and with a fresh land breeze we were soon far away from this
unlucky spot.

CHAPTER TWO.

WE ARE PURSUED BY TWO SCHOONER-PRIVATEERS, AND FAILING TO ESCAPE THEM A
TERRIBLE CONTEST ENSUES--THREE ACTS OF A MURDEROUS NAVAL DRAMA--WE ARE
WORSTED--CAPTAIN WEATHERALL IS KILLED-