I can't bear this!" I heard Smellie exclaim, as the dying
shrieks of the negroes below again pealed out upon the startled air.
"Mr Williams, take half a dozen men below and free those unhappy
blacks. I don't know whether I am acting prudently or not, but I cannot
leave them chained helplessly down there to be cut to pieces by the shot
of those Spanish fiends. Let them come on deck and take their chance
with us. Some of them at least may possibly effect their escape, either
in the schooner's boats or by swimming to the shore."

Williams lost no time in setting about his perilous work of mercy; and a
few minutes after his disappearance down the main hatchway the unhappy
slaves began to make their appearance on deck, where they first stared
in terrified wonder about them, and then crouched down helplessly on the
deck wherever they might happen to find themselves.

In the meantime the cannonade was kept briskly up on both sides, and
presently the Spaniards began to pepper us with musketry in addition.
The bullets, fired at short range, flew thickly about us; and the
casualties quickly increased, several of the unfortunate blacks falling
victims to the first discharge. Seeing this, Smellie ordered the
schooner's boats, three in number, to be lowered and the slaves passed
into them. This was done, our lads leaving the guns for a few minutes
for the purpose; but--will it be credited? The Spaniards no sooner
became aware of our purpose than they directed their fire upon the boats
and their hapless occupants; so that we were compelled to quickly drag
the unhappy blacks back on board the schooner again, to save them from
being ruthlessly slaughtered. The worst of it was, that though Williams
had succeeded in freeing many of them from the heavy chains with which
they were secured together in the schooner's hold, most of them still
wore heavy fetters on their ankles. These we now proceeded to knock off
as fast as we could, afterwards pitching the poor wretches overboard--
with scant ceremony, I fear--to take their chances of being able to
reach the shore. And during all this the Spaniards never ceased firing
upon us for an instant; so there we were in the midst of a perfect
hailstorm of round-shot and bullets; the air about us thick and
suffocating with the smoke from the guns, our only light the quick
intermittent flashes of the cannon and musketry; the whole atmosphere
vibrating with the roar and rattle of the fusillad