below in the stifling, sweating hold, with two hundred
miserable captives like herself, torn from various islands and speaking
a language akin to her own, lay the heart-broken and despairing daughter
of Big Harry of Nukufetau.

*****

And now comes the strange part of this true story. Two years had
passed, when one cold, sleety evening in Liverpool, a merchant living at
Birkenhead returned home somewhat later than his usual hour in a hired
vehicle. Hastily jumping out, he pulled the door-bell, and the moment it
was opened told the domestic to call her mistress.

"And you, Mary," he added, "get ready hot flannels, or blankets, and a
bed. I found an unfortunate young foreign girl nearly dead from cold
and exhaustion lying at the corner of a side street. I am afraid she is
dying."

In another minute the merchant and his wife had carried her inside, and
the lady, taking off her drenched and freezing garments, set about to
revive her by rubbing her stiffened limbs. A doctor meanwhile had been
sent for, and soon after his arrival the girl, who appeared to be about
sixteen years of age, regained consciousness, and was able to drink a
glass of wine held to her lips. For nearly an hour the kindly hearted
merchant and his wife watched by the girl's bedside, and with a feeling
of satisfaction saw her sink into a deep slumber.

The story she told them the next day, in her pretty broken English,
filled them with the deepest interest and pity. She had, she said, been
captured by the crew of one of two slave ships and taken to a place
called Callao. On the voyage many of her ill-fated companions had died,
and the survivors, upon their arrival at Callao, had been placed upon a
vessel bound to the Chincha Islands. She, however, had, the night before
the vessel sailed, managed to elude the sentries, and, letting herself
drop overboard, swam to an English ship lying nearly a quarter of a mile
away, and clambered up her side into the main-chains. There she remained
till daylight, when she was seen by one of the crew. The captain of the
ship, at once surmising she had escaped from the slave barque, concealed
her on board and, the ship being all ready for sea, sailed next day for
Japan. For nearly ten months the poor girl remained on board the English
ship, where she was kindly treated by the captain and his wife and
officers. At last, after visiting several Eastern ports, the ship sailed
for Liverpool, and the girl was taken by the cap