the
commanders of the expedition.

"To think that we should have spent all this time before a town
fortified only by slaving rascals, and manned by blacks, and after all
not yet to be masters of it!" exclaimed Jack, with some bitterness in
his tone.

"It comes very much of the common English fault of despising our
enemies," observed Murray. "We are apt to forget that though fellows
have black or tawny skins, they have got brains in their heads."

"Still we don't often find enemies who have the pluck of Britons," said
Adair.

"No, and that is the reason why we are ultimately so generally
successful," answered Murray. "But that does not prevent us from
frequently, in the first place, meeting with defeat and disgrace, and
losing numberless valuable lives. I do not mean to say that what
happened on Friday could have been avoided, but it is very sad to think
of the poor fellows who have lost their lives, as well as of the many
now suffering from their wounds; so we won't talk more about the
matter."

That night passed like the former ones, and Sunday was gliding
tranquilly away, spent in most instances by the crews on board the
vessels and boats, after the example of their commander, as a Sunday
should be passed, when it was ascertained that the usurper and his prime
minister, and the greater number of his troops, had abandoned the city.
The English commander, therefore, sent to direct the negro auxiliaries
who had accompanied King Akitoye from Abeokuta to escort him into the
city, and to install him in his office. This was done, and they took
possession of the houses which had escaped the conflagration, while a
small portion only of the British forces entered that evening and spiked
the guns in the chief batteries turned towards the river. The next
morning fifty-two guns were destroyed or embarked. Murray was among
those who went on shore. In his letter home he made the following
remarks:--

"The greater part of the stronghold of slavery is now little more than a
heap of ashes; but enough of the works remain to show the cunning
methods devised by the blacks for entrapping us into ambushes had we
assaulted it. In truth, the place is a great deal stronger than we had
any notion of. One thing I must say, that, in spite of the reverses we
at first experienced, every officer and man engaged in the affair did
his utmost, and behaved as British seamen always should behave; and it
must be the consolation of the r