s, which warn't twelve feet away. The darkies who
war rowing had been told what to do, and, to do 'em justice, they did it
well. Thar was a yell from the boats as we fired, for I reckon every
shot told; but the way they had got brought 'em on, and their bows
struck us just at the same moment. Then at it we went with our pistols
as they crowded forward and tried to get on board. It was over in half a
minute, for the four blacks had seized their poles, and, shoving them
into the boats, two on each side, pushed 'em off.

"I have heard pretty tall language on the Mississippi, but I never heard
such volleys of cussing as came up from them boats; some of the men
blazed away with thar guns, some shouted to others to row alongside,
some who war hit yelled and cussed like fiends; and all this time we war
lying behind the bags, ramming down fresh charges for the bare life. We
gave 'em eight more shots before they could cast off the poles and come
at us again. This time they came along more on the broadside, and five
or six of 'em sprang on board; but we war ready with the butts of our
rifles, and the blacks with thar cutlasses, and we cleared them off
again. The four darkies had stuck to thar poles; one boat was shoved
off, and one of the blacks run his pole right through the bottom of the
other, and in a minute she went down.

"The other boat didn't know what had happened, and came up agin; but
leaving two of the blacks to chop down any of the fellows in the water
who might try to climb aboard, the other ten of us stood up and fought
'em fair. Our blood was up now, and our darkies fought like demons. The
pirates soon found they had the worst of it, and would have got apart
from us if they could; but we jumped into thar boat and fought them
thar, and they soon jumped over and made for the bank. Directly it was
over they began to fire agin from the shore, and we jumped back into
shelter agin in our own boat and manned the four oars agin. We fastened
the painter of the boat on to our stern, and towed her behind us, and in
another half an hour were out in the stream. It was a toughish fight, I
can tell you, while it lasted; two of the blacks and one of my mates had
been hit by thar musket-balls, and the rest of us war either gashed by
thar knives or had got ugly cracks. However, six of them war lying in
the boat when we hauled it alongside; two war stone-dead, the other
four had been stunned with the butt ends of the muskets, or cut