er. Away they dashed; they could see the barrels of the negroes'
muskets gleaming through the stockades, and a terrific fire was opened
on them. Still on they went, right up to the stockades. Axe in hand
the works were attacked, but in vain they hacked and hewed at the tough
posts. No sooner was one party of blacks driven from the defences than
others took their places. Many of the seamen were hit; some poor
fellows sank never to rise again. The British seamen cheered and loaded
and fired as rapidly as they could; the blacks shrieked and shouted, and
kept banging away in return. Jack heard a cry close to him. It came
from the boat next to his. He saw an officer fall. His heart sank; he
thought it was Murray. He sprang into the boat to lift him up--but no--
it was another gallant young midshipman, whom he had seen an instant
before bravely cheering on his men. Assistance was useless, he had
ceased to breathe. He placed him in the stern-sheets of his boat and
regained his own. Once more a desperate assault was made on the
stockades, but without effect, and, with numbers wounded, the boats were
compelled to haul off.

What to do with the steamer on shore was now the question. It was
resolved, to avoid the necessity of blowing her up, to land with a
strong force to destroy the guns annoying her. Till the tide rose there
seemed no prospect of getting her off. Some little time was expended in
arranging the expedition. Again the signal was given, and in line they
pulled gallantly up towards the stockade. As they approached a fire
from fully 1,500 muskets opened on them, to which they replied with
spherical, grape, and canister shot. Hotter and hotter grew the fire of
the blacks, but on the boats steadily advanced till their stems touched
the beach, when the men, springing on shore, formed in an instant, and,
led by their officers, rushed up to the stockades. Axes were plied
vigorously--some seized the timbers and hauled them down, and a breach
being made, in they rushed and drove the enemy before them. The fort
was gained, the blacks fled out of it into the thick bush in the rear,
and all the guns were spiked. While this work was being accomplished, a
party of the blacks had come down and, attacking one of the boats, had
carried her off along the beach, hoping probably to make their escape in
her. A party pursued them on discovering this for a considerable
distance, when the blacks who had fled into the