ella die."

"Run down then to the beach, and desire the surgeon of the brig to come
up immediately."

"Yes, sar," replied the negro, leaving the room.

"Oh, I feel it now--here," exclaimed I, putting my hand to my chest;
"I'm suffocating."

"And so do I," replied one of the midshipmen, weeping.

The girl Leila now entered the room in tears. "Mammy dead," said she.
"Oh Captain Keene, I very sorry for you: you come with me, I give you
something. I know how stop pison."

"Do you, Leila? then give it me; quick, quick."

"Yes, yes; give it us quick."

"I not stuff enough but I make more when I gib what I ab to Captain
Keene. You all stay still, not move; pose you move about, make pison
work. I come back soon as I can."

Leila then took my arm and led me tottering out of the room, when I went
to Mammy Crissobella, and laughed till I cried; but the punishment was
not over. After remaining about ten minutes looking at each other, but
neither speaking nor moving, in pursuance of Leila's direction, with the
utmost despair in their countenances, they were gladdened by the return
of Leila with a large jug, out of which she administered a glass of some
compound or another to each of them. I watched at the door, and the
eagerness with which they jostled and pushed each other to obtain the
dose before the rest was very amusing, and never did they swallow any
liquor with so much avidity, little imagining that, instead of taking
what was to cure them, they were now taking what was to make them very
sick; but so it was; and in a few minutes afterwards the scene of
groaning, crying, screaming, writhing with pain, was quite awful.

After a time, the slaves came in and carried them all to their
respective beds, leaving them to their own reflections, and the violent
effects of the drugs administered, which left them no repose for that
night, and in a state of utter exhaustion on the following morning.

At daylight I went into Mr Dott's room with the surgeon, to whom I had
confided the secret. Tommy was a miserable object.

"Thank heaven! here is one still alive," said the surgeon to me.

"Oh! Captain Keene," said Tommy, "I'm glad to see that you are so well;
but you had the remedy given you long before we had."

"Yes," replied I, "it was given me in good time; but I hope it was not
too late with you."

"I feel very bad," replied Tommy. "Doctor, do you think I shall live?"

The doctor felt his pulse, and looked ver