had occurred.

"We must defend ourselves to the last," he answered, "if they do come.
It will be better to die fighting than let them get on board. What do
you advise?"

"We have nearly a dozen muskets," I said, "and with our two guns we may
make a stout defence. I do not think they would wish to encounter our
firearms, even though they possibly have some themselves."

"I am afraid that fellow Kydd will be of no use to us," observed
Stanley. "He seems beside himself. We will hear what Timbo says,
however. He knows more of these people than any of us."

Timbo was standing at no great distance, and Stanley called him up. I
told him what I had seen.

"Not surprised," he observed. "De white men make dem slave, and so when
dey catch de white men dey kill dem. Dat's it; but dey no come off at
night. No fear of dat. Dey t'ink we one slaver; and if we fired a gun,
dey no come off at all."

This information was cheering, as we thought we could rely on Timbo's
knowledge.

"Would you consent to go on shore and gain their friendship?" I asked.
"If they know that we are not their enemies, they may possibly be
disposed to help us; for as to getting off the brig, I fear greatly it
is not to be done."

He hesitated. "Yes," he said at length; "I go to-morrow morning. I
talk deir lingo; and if dey come from up de country, as I t'ink, I make
friends wid dem."

I agreed to accompany him, with David and the younger Mr Rowley.
Darkness at length came on; and as the mist settled once more over the
ocean we were unable to see many fathoms on either side of the vessel.
We made these arrangements without consulting Kydd, for his conduct had
been such that we felt it would be useless: indeed, when I looked round
I could not distinguish him on deck. All this time the brig lay
tolerably quiet, for though the sea every now and then struck her, and I
feared sent her even more on to the bank, yet it did not break over
sufficiently to wash anybody off the deck; the after part, indeed,
remained perfectly dry. Here the ladies had collected, with the two
boys, while the five gentlemen passengers, Jack Handspike, Timbo, and I,
busied ourselves in getting up the muskets and ammunition for them and
the guns. "We are going to fire," I heard Stanley say, and soon
afterwards Timbo appeared with a hot poker from the galley fire, and our
guns were discharged in succession. "Dat keep de niggers away," he
observed, returning to the gal