d in force to
defend their roof-trees, but when we entered the place cautiously, and
crept to the first dwelling in the outskirt, it was empty. So with the
second, third, fourth,--until we overran the whole settlement and
found it utterly deserted;--its furniture, stock, implements, and even
_doors_ carried off by the deliberate fugitives. The guardian
_fetiche_ was alone left to protect their abandoned hovels. But the
superstitious charm did not save them. The brand was lighted; and, in
an hour, five of these bamboo confederacies were given to the flames.

We discovered while approaching the towns, that our assault had made
so serious an inroad on the slim supply of ammunition, that it was
deemed advisable to send a messenger to the colony for a
reinforcement. By neglect or mishap, the powder and ball never reached
us; so that when the towns were destroyed, no one dreamed of
penetrating the forest to unearth its vermin with the remnant of
cartridges in our chest and boxes. I never was able to discover the
cause of this unpardonable neglect, or the officer who permitted it to
occur in such an exigency; but it was forthwith deemed advisable to
waste no time in retreating after our partial revenge.

Till now, the Africans had kept strictly on the defensive, but when
they saw our faces turned towards the beach, or colony, every bush and
thicket became alive again with aggressive foes. For a while, the
cannon kept them at bay, but its grape soon gave out; and, while I was
in the act of superintending a fair division of the remaining ball
cartridges, I was shot in the right foot with an iron slug. At the
moment of injury I scarcely felt the wound, and did not halt, but, as
I trudged along in the sand and salt water, my wound grew painful, and
the loss of blood which tracked my steps, soon obliged me to seek
refuge in the canoe of my Kroomen.

The sight of my bleeding body borne to the skiff, was hailed with
shouts and gestures of joy and contempt by the savages. As I crossed
the last breaker and dropped into smooth water, my eyes reverted to
the beach, where I heard the exultant war-drum and war bells, while
the colonists were beheld in full flight, leaving their artillery in
the hands of our foe! It was subsequently reported that the commander
of the party had been panic struck by the perilous aspect of affairs,
and ordered the precipitate and fatal retreat, which that very night
emboldened the negroes to revenge the los