e as you please. Only, for
mercy's sake, spare me the humiliation of mounting a guard over me!"

He looked me intently in the eyes for a moment, and then said--

"All right, I will; you shall be locked up by yourself. Only, for your
own sake, be careful to behave exactly as you would in the presence of a
guard; for I promise you that, if I have the slightest reason to suspect
any treachery on your part, you will be sorry that I ever spared your
life. Now, come along, for there is no time to spare."

I accordingly followed him below and entered my cabin, closing the door
behind me, and I immediately heard him turn the key and withdraw it from
the lock, after which he went on deck again; and for a time the most
perfect stillness and silence reigned throughout the ship.

The silence was not of long duration, however; for I had scarcely been
in my cabin ten minutes when I heard a low murmur of voices overhead,
and the next instant Mendouca's voice pealed outs loud and clear, in
English--

"Ho, the boats ahoy! Who are you, and what do you want?"

There was some reply that I could not catch, the voice evidently coming
from a point at some distance from the ship, on the opposite side to
that occupied by my cabin. It was probably an inquiry as to name and
destination of the brigantine, for Mendouca shouted--

"The _Nubian Queen_, of and for Liverpool, from the Brass river, with
oil and ivory. Keep off, or I will fire into you! I warn you that we
are armed, and are quite prepared to defend ourselves."

A long hail from the boats now followed, to which Mendouca replied--

"If you do it will be at your peril; I have been cleared out once before
just about this same spot, and I do not intend to be robbed a second
time. Keep off, I tell you! If you advance another stroke I will
fire!"

And instantly afterwards I heard him say to his own men in Spanish--

"Now, lads, you have them all in a cluster, let them have it. Fire!"

The sharp, ringing report of the brigantine's nine-pounders immediately
pealed out, and even through the shock and concussion of the discharge I
thought that, as I stood with my ear at the open port, I caught the
sound of a crash. Whether this was so or not, there could be no mistake
about the screams and groans of agony that came floating over the water
in response to our broadside, mingled with cries of command, the roll
and dash of oars in the water, a rattling volley of musketry, and the