father," said young Hopeful, "this looks like mischief; better
hang them, I reckon, than to be stuck like pigs. They look as if they'd
do it, don't they?"

I shall never forget the diabolical expression of the captain of the
brig after the Portuguese sailors had done speaking. He had a pistol at
his belt, which he drew out.

"That's right, shoot 'em, father; dead men tell no tales, as you have
always said."

"No, no," said the seaman who was on guard, motioning them back with his
cutlass, "there will be no shooting nor hanging either; we are all sworn
to that. If so be they be pirates, there's the law of the country to
condemn them; and if they be not pirates, why then that's another
story."

The captain looked at the seaman as if he could have shot him if he
dared. Then turned round hastily and went back to the cabin, followed
by his worthy offspring.

For seven days we remained in irons, when we heard land announced by the
sailors on deck, and the brig's head was put towards it. At night she
was hove-to, and the next morning again stood in, and we perceived that
we were in smooth water. Towards night the anchor was let go, and we
asked the guard if we had arrived at James Town.

He replied, "No, but we were in a river on the coast, but he did not
know what river it was nor did any of the crew, nor could they tell why
the captain had anchored there. But they had seen several canoes with
Indians cross the river, but that there appeared to be no white
settlement that they could discover." The mystery was, however, cleared
up on the following morning. A small boat, which could barely hold
eight people, was lowered from the stern, and hauled up alongside. We
were taken up, one by one, the scoundrel of a captain having first
stripped each of us to our trousers, not even allowing us a shirt. We
were ordered to get into the boat. As soon as we were all in, and our
weight brought the boat down to her gunnel, two oars were handed to us,
and then the captain of the brig said:

"Now, you rascally pirates, I might have hanged you all, and I would
have done so, for I know you well. I recollect your faces when you
plundered the `Eliza,' when I was off Porto Rico; but if I put you in
prison at James Town, I shall have to wait two or three months until the
court sits, and I cannot be detained for such scoundrels as you; so now
you may pull on shore, and get on how you can. Shove off, directly, or
I'll put a bul