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thing possible. I dashed into the steward's birth, which was open, laid hold of a double dose of grog which he was just conveying to his mouth, and clapping the burning match into it, effectually put it "this is your out. The bag, Sir, is full of powder- in six minutes we should have been all in glory. So, "Massa Sambo," said I, pilotage." Leave him to me, Sir, cried McCarthy, and I'll set him fairly on his voyage to the devil before he's half an hour older. No, Jack, we can't do that; we'll keep the old boy till we've hanged his friends the pirates, and then he shall have the advantage of a trial at Kingston, and a swing in good company in the mean time : his only chance of life is to hold his tongue, whatever may happen : take him and put him in irons. Massa Sambo, who I found was brother to one of the pirates, being thus disposed of, we continued the voyage without farther event, until, on the fourth day, we arrived off one of the entrances to the lagoon. Within shore of us was a long low black gig, seemingly fishing, but evidently full of men. Before leaving Jamaica, I had had the vessel painted so as to resemble a We perceived an Our ports coaster; and now they evidently took us for one. instant bustle, and hoisting their lug, they ran out for us. were all carefully closed; no indication of our being armed was allowed to appear, and only three or four men shewed upon deck, going awkwardly through the necessary duties. In a couple of minutes more we saw another craft of the same description a-head, shoving down along shore towards us, so as to cut us off, while the first steered right for our quarter. All hands were summoned upon deck, and being fully armed, were ordered to lie down close under the bulwarks, and spare sails were thrown over them. I had a trusty hand at the helm, and stood by him myself, a large cloak thrown hand under over my shoulders-O'Cutlass's legacy held rooted in my it, and "Jack-Ass and Hickory," as M'Carthy used to call my pistols, loaded in my belt. M'Carthy himself, my second officer, Tim Sullivan, M'Caul, my boatswain, and O'Fuze, the gunner, being the As the pirates neared us, we only other persons permitted to shew. made an awkward attempt to put her about; and after having, with great difficulty, succeeded in making her miss stays, could, as she paid off again, hear the brutal jests which were bandied amongt the "I say, Black Jack, what rum craft is this approaching ruffians. here? why she's 'manned' with old women," exclaimed the cox-as the swain of the leading boat-a scoundrel from my own countrycloaks in which we were wrapped caught his eye. him go aloft reef topsails in dat ere griego." By Jove, I like to see "Eh, Massa Pat," replied Black old women hand top gallant sail. Jack-a huge Coromantee-with those parallel scars on his cheek which denoted his country. As they closed us, I hailed and asked who they were and what they wanted. The answer was characteristic: We are the devil's coast-guard, and come to bring you to his custom-house-haul over your foresheet and lower the peak of your mainsail, or you're like to see him shortly." As if terrified, we obeyed, and in an instant we had one of their boats hanging on to the main-chains on either hand, and the entire band of ruffians, about thirty-five in number, leaving a boy to take care of each boat, jumped

"Iss Massa Pat

upon our deck. Instantly I flung off my cloak, and sent a bullet through the head of my worthy countryman, who was foremost rushing on me. Our people rose upon them on all sides. Selby, who had been crouching by my side, trembling with fierce expectationleading them on-and shouting Miscreants-I know thee, he sprung like a tiger upon him whom they had called Black Jack. The struggle did not last a moment. So completely taken by surprise were the pirates, that they were slaughtered almost without resistance, and with the exception of the Coromantee, who, by the way, turned out to be the brother of "Sambo Jack," were extended bleeding on the deck, within two minutes from the time of their jumping on board. Between him and Selby the combat still continued. The negro had the advantage of strength and stature, and fought with the savage desperation with which a pirate alone can fight. But Selby was nerved by the burning thirst for revenge. His skill in his weapon was exquisite, and I soon saw that he was employing that skill to weaken, and not at once to slay-not a spot in the frame of the giant where exquisite pain could be inflicted without touching the life, but felt the edge or point of his sword. Maddened with pain, the negro struck wildly in all directions, raining a shower of blows, any of which, if it struck him, must have silenced his opponent for ever; but they were parried or avoided:-and at length, as becoming faint from loss of blood, the rover began to reel before him. Selby with one blow struck off his right hand he drew a pistol with his left, but the weapon lay in a moment on the deck, with the severed fingers straining round the butt. He fell, and Selby setting his foot on his breast, exclaimed, "Ruffian, the time is come at last; I am Selby, the passenger in the Sisters of London." A single glance of demoniac malice was thrown upward by the wretch--a shriek of despair escaped him—as putting the point of the sword to his breast, Selby sunk it slowly into his heart, watching, and, as it seemed, enjoying the writhing of the huge carcase around the steel. I had looked often upon death, but not in this way, and I sickened at the sight. Squeamishness, however, was now too late. We had commenced, and we were bound to go through with our work. With difficulty we tore Selby from the now lifeless carrion-he had remained standing over the body, his left foot upon its breast, his eyes fixed on the swarthy features, hideous with the last struggle, and the point of his sword sunk through the breast of the corpse into the deck. I found him utterly insensible: it required dexterity to unclasp his fingers from the sword hilt; and when we withdrew him from the body, he sunk fainting into the arms of our surgeon-he was taken below, and we commenced to prepare for our further operations. Two of our people had, according to orders, slipped over the sides, and secured the boats, with their keepers. In one of them was a black flag, with the usual terrific devices; in the other, a large net; and in each was a three gallon tin cask of rum, with a cock in it, and a large silver tankard standing by. The boys were taken on board and examined. One was a mulatto, the son, as we soon learned, of the dear deceased Black Jack. From him we could learn nothing, as he burst at once into wild lamentations for his worthy parent. The other, a fine lad

of sixteen, was son to the captain of a British merchant vessel, which they had plundered some four years previous :-all hands had been murdered but the child, whom, from some caprice, the "head captain" of the rovers had preserved. He, poor fellow, was of course delighted at his rescue, and gave us every information in his power; and first seeing us puzzled about the dead bodies, for if thrown over board separately, some of them might have been washed ashore, he pointed to the net, which, he said, served the pirates for a windingsheet for their victims. The bodies were wrapped in it, and lashing a dozen of shot to it at short distances, we plunged the load of departed villainy into the deep. Our decks were washed, our people got rid of the stains of conflict, and all hands having "spliced the main-brace," we veered the pirates' boats aft with a long scope of painter, and stood down quietly along the coast: the tide had only just commenced breaking, and before half flood we should not have water sufficient to take us into the lagoon. The time was of course occupied in preparations. Fortunately, none of our people had fallen, and except a couple of black eyes and other slight contusions, the only damage done had been by a bullet which grazed the gunner's left shoulder, and for which a slip of sticking plaster amply sufficed. Our rescued captive informed us, that of the entire body of the pirates, not more than fifty, besides those we had disposed of, were at their head quarters; one of their vessels was out on a cruize-the other, and principal one, was in harbour refitting. Their cruizes, he said, seldom exceeded a fortnight; and in about four days we might look for the return of the Audacious, as their second schooner was called now, therefore, was our time. We should get in a little after sunset; and, before midnight, the destruction of the portion of the horde who were at head-quarters might easily be accomplished. In the meantime, we hoisted the pirate flag to our mast-head; which signal we saw immediately answered, by a smoke from the shore, and continued making short stretches along the coast, until the tide should have made sufficiently. While superintending the preparations for attack, the surgeon came to summons me to Selby. I found him seated in the cabin, but just recovered from his death-like swoon-his looks fixed upon the cabin-deck, as if he sought some object, and found it not. He raised his eyes as I entered, and, looking on me for a moment, broke out with "I fear, my friend, I am getting mad-just now I fancied that I had slain that savage, Coromantee, who bound me in the pirate's hut; I could have sworn that my sword passed through his heart-that my foot was on his breastthat I heard his dying shriek of fiendish despair-and yet I see him not." I saw at once that there was but one course; and leading him forcibly upon deck, shewed him where the body had lain, pointed out to him the still bloody deck, and, finally, gave into his grasp the sword, from which the crimson witness had not yet been cleansed. He gazed on these tokens for a moment, and burst into tears. the space of ten minutes, he wept as I never saw mortal weep, and then, checking the torrent of his passion, exclaimed-" I have not wept these ten years. So much of the load of vengeance is off my soul; but, Manuel, thou hast much to suffer. When," continued

For

he, "when, my friend, shall we attack the remaining ruffians ?" I explained to him our plans, and retired below. He locked himself into his state-room, taking with him the bloody weapon. Young Thomson, the English boy, had, during his captivity, made himself acquainted with the navigation of the lagoon; and, as soon as the tide was sufficiently made for the purpose, took the vessel in in safety. While yet within the narrow entrance, according to our preconcerted plan, we landed thirty of the crew, well armed, with M'Carthy at their head, with orders to proceed by a path perfectly traced on one of Selby's maps, and, stationing themselves in ambush above the village, to rush in upon the rear of the defenders as soon as they should see a lanthorn hoisted to our mast-head. Nothing could surpass the secrecy and security of the interior of the harbour, surrounded on all sides with rising grounds, which were clothed with wood down to the water's edge; and the only entrances so completely hidden, as that no person not acquainted with their existence could have believed them to have led into such a basin. At the bottom of the harbour was the village, rising tier above tier from the water, and protected on the land side by palisadoes, and towards the harbour. by a rude battery, or, I should rather say, platform, mounting ten guns. Opposite the town rode their chief vessel-a slashing schooner, of eighteen guns, built for the service, and with an extremely small draft of water. As we passed her, the caretakers hailed us; and I made Thomson answer, that "the prize was loaded with rum and sugar." The answer was instantly-" get the punch-bowl ready;" and before we could get to our anchorage, their boat was along-side, with half-a-dozen of the miscreants. They were seized the moment they got over the side, gagged, tied hand and foot, and flung below on the ballast. One amongst them, the boy told us, was an Englishman, who had been lately compelled to join them, and who, he thought, we might depend upon. I had this fellow led aft, and he instantly and cheerfully agreed to join us. The fellows on shore, he said, were preparing for a merry-making, and would not think of boarding us, as their rule was, that each prize should belong to their respective captors, and by midnight they would be so drunk that we might master them at our leisure. It was now past sun-set, and the soft night of the tropics began to fall; our guns were turned full upon the battery, which we completely commanded, and we lay silently awaiting the moment when the drunkenness of the miscreants on shore might give us the opportunity of securing them. There were, as we were informed, only four men left in the schooner; and as soon as it became completely dark, I sent Williams, our last recruit, in a boat, with twelve of my crew, to seize her; and having gagged and bound those they found on board, turned her guns upon the town, and lay down amongst them to await the signal. The time passed on; we heard the clamour of their outrageous merriment, and in half an hour the villains must have fallen into our trap, when an accident preserved them from capture, to consign them to instant death. Diego, the mulatto boy, had been allowed to walk the quarter-deck with his hands simply tied before him; watching his opportunity, the fellow had contrived to force with his feet a cutlass,

which was lying on the deck, out of the sheath, and, standing on the hilt, turned its point up, and managed to cut the lan-yard which fastened his hands; then, seizing the moment when the sentry's back was towards him, he lowered himself over the side, and swam on shore. He found the pirates at their banquet, many of them quite intoxicated, and all more or less so, and, rushing amongst them, warned them of their danger; they instantly seized their arms, and ran to man the battery. On a sudden we perceived lights glancing among the rude embrazures, and were told by the bustle that they were getting ready to fire, when, fortunately, at the same instant, and just as I had missed Master Diego, the house where they had been feasting, and which rose exactly above the battery, took fire. In their hurry forth they had capsized a large jar of rum, and upset a candle on the spot on which the liquid flowed. Of course, it caught, and communicated the flame; the house was in a blaze in a moment, and the entire of the battery was illuminated by the powerful light of the conflagration. It was precisely what we wanted; we were enabled to lay our guns with the utmost exactness, and, with three broadsides, we drove the defenders from their guns, and silenced the battery. That done, I ordered the lanthorn, our appointed signal to M'Carthy, to be hoisted, and taking with me Selby and thirty men, with Williams as a guide, pulled in for the shore, under the battery, and under cover of the fire from the cutter. A few of the pirates still lay beside their silenced and dismounted guns upon the platform; and as the fire from the cutter ceased when we leaped on shore, they rose to receive our attack, and sell their lives as dearly as possible. Slowly, and with considerable resistance, we forced them from the battery, and drove them, inch by inch, up the hill; four or five of our brave fellows fell in the struggle, and many were wounded. Still, however, our opponents had lost more than double that number; and we continued to force them backwards, when, suddenly, from the nearest house, a crowd of females, such as the wives of pirates ought to be, poured forth to the assistance of their lords and masters. have seen some hard knocks pass in my day, but so infuriate an onset it never was my fortune to witness. Ön they came, rushing upon the points of our bayonets and boarding-pikes, as if they had been flying to the arms of a lover, and, striking with their dying energies fiercely around them, we were compelled to mow them down in all directions; but still they came on, and the mere impetus of their superior numbers forced us down the hill again. We had been driven back many paces; and I had already detached four of my party to turn one of the guns of the battery landward, for the purpose of trying the effect of a discharge of grape-shot upon our assailants, when we heard the cheers of M'Carthy's party from the upper part of the village, and felt instantly the efforts of our opponents to relax. A couple of the houses in their rear now blazed up, and by their light we saw our gallant comrades, whom the difficulties of the path had retarded, pour down upon them. The route had commenced; they broke, scattered, and were cut down in every direction. While extending ourselves according to our previous arrangement, we endeavoured to drive them before us to the centre of the town. Among the still ex

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