ng
it over my shoulder by its sling; and started back for the village at a
run, holding my shot gun ready cocked.

"When I reached the village, I could not see a soul--every house was
deserted, but from the sea front I could hear diabolical yells and
cries. I had to run another hundred yards or more before I came in sight
of the cutter, and the moment I did so, I saw that it was all over
with poor Merriman and the others--the vessel was simply swarming with
niggers, and surrounded by canoes, into which they were already throwing
the plunder!

"I rested a minute or so to get my breath and steady my hand, and then
opened fire. The cutter was not two hundred yards away from where I
stood, and the very first shot plumped right into the black, surging
crowd on deck, and one nigger gave his last jump. I fired three more
shots into them before they had time to get into their canoes, or spring
overboard to swim ashore. Most of the canoes made off to the south,
around a point, but three or four of them came right in towards me,
heading for the village. I don't think any of them saw me, for I was
lying down among the roots and _debris_ of a fallen tree, just above
high water mark. They came in, paddling like mad, but not uttering a
sound. I waited till the first canoe was within ten yards of me, and
then fired both barrels of my gun in quick succession right into them,
nearly blowing the chest out of the old chief, who was seated amidships,
and wounding all the others. Then I got to work with my rifle again
on the other canoes; and, although the moment they saw me, the niggers
jumped overboard and dived, I got one for every shot of the last six
cartridges--whenever one got into shallow water and stood up to run,
down he went.

"Then, taking both shot gun and rifle by the barrels, I smashed them on
a rock, tore off my clothes and boots, and started to swim off to the
vessel, looking behind me every now and then to see if the niggers were
following. But they had had enough of me, and their empty canoes were
drifting about the bay.

"I got alongside, clambered up over the waist, and saw a sight I
shall never forget--every one of my poor shipmates had been ruthlessly
slaughtered, and their mutilated bodies, stripped of every bit of
clothing, were lying about the deck. A very brief examination showed me
that every one of them was dead--in fact their heads had been beaten to
pulp, and each body was pierced through and through with