get the worse for wear with such
liquor as that, sir. It's only Adam's ale."

"Oh, oh!" cried out some of our men, "is this the way you work to
windward, my knowing ones? Come, come, you must be more on a bowline
before you can cross our hawse; so pack up your duds, trip your anchors,
and make sail with us."

The old woman again made her appearance, and asked us if we were going to
take her sons. "If you dare do it," said she, "I will prosecute the whole
of you for breaking through my premises, and have you all put into gaol."
"Hold your tongue, mother," said one of the men we had taken, "what's the
good of your kicking up such a bobbery about it? You only make it worse.
If you don't see us to-morrow, send our clothes to Port Royal." They then
quietly submitted. We returned through the rooms entered, and on turning
into the passage leading to the street, we encountered Master Copperskin.
Two of our men immediately seized him; he struggled violently, and
attempted to draw a clasped knife, which on the coxswain perceiving he
gave him a stroke on his calabash with his hanger, which quieted him. He
was then pinioned with one of the seamen's neck-handkerchiefs. On getting
into our boats a party of about twenty men and women of all colours came
down to the wharf in the hope of rescuing the mulatto man, but they were
too late. When we put off from the shore we found it no joke, as they
fired into our boat and seriously wounded the man who pulled the stroke
oar. Luckily the awning was canted towards them, or they would have shot
several of us, as it had seven shots through it. We were obliged to fire
in self-defence, killing one man and wounding several others. I remarked
the man we killed jumped a considerable height from the ground and then
fell prostrate. Finding they had had enough fighting, they marched off
with their killed and wounded. The day after we were summoned to Kingston
to explain our adventure before the magistrates, who, finding we were
first attacked, acquitted us of wilful murder as we had been compelled to
act in self-defence, but informed us it was necessary to appear before a
jury next day for the satisfaction of the townspeople. This was vexatious.

The day following, after rowing about three hours in a hot sun, we were
examined by twelve very wise and common-looking bipeds, who, after
questioning us in a most stupid and tiresome manner, found a verdict of
justifiable homicide. On returning to the boat