nturer's vessel which should
arrive. The funds which Charles Bramble had brought out from Cuba to
Africa, were consigned to Don Leonardo, and he of course would do with
the money as he pleased; he therefore proposed to charter the first
vessel that came, and ship a cargo the same as he would have done in the
"Sea Witch."

It was not long before one of those flat, low, dark clipper schooners
hove in sight and ran into the bay. She was small, sat deep in the
water, was scarcely three hundred tons burthen, but managed to stow
three hundred and forty negroes with ease, and would have taken more had
not intelligence from the lookouts been brought in, that a square rig
was coming down the coast. Charles Bramble hesitated whether he should
embark in this craft. It was consigned to his former owners, the very
men he wished to meet. He might have to wait for months in order to
obtain another chance, it was hardly a matter of choice with him, but
became one of necessity, and he embarked accordingly.

Charles Bramble was no sooner fairly at sea than he was filled with
amazement at the condition of matters on board the slaver. Himself
accustomed to enforce the most rigid discipline, he here saw a perfect
bedlam; a crew of some thirty people, composed of the vilest of the
vile, who must have been shipped only with an eye to numbers, and no
regard for character or stability. Added to this, the captain, though a
man of some experience as a seaman, had no control of the crew, and was
quite at a loss how to manage them. Twice was Charles Bramble obliged to
interfere between the crew and the captain before they were three days
at sea; and by his stern, calm will he succeeded in preventing open
mutiny by the crew. The fact was, the most desperate part of the
foremast hands knew very well that the money sent out to purchase
slaves, was still on board in good golden doubloons, and they were
secretly scheming to take the schooner, kill the officers and
appropriate the gold.

Charles Bramble was accustomed to deal with such spirits; he was
well-armed at all hours, and prepared for the very trouble which was to
come, inasmuch as he had anticipated it. There were two mates and the
captain, beside himself, who might be relied upon to stand by the vessel
and the owners' rights, but they had fearful odds against them. There
was also a lad who had gone out in the "Sea Witch" as cabin boy, whom
Charles Bramble was now bringing back with him to hi