he war which raged, between the black and the
white, to ask whether any of the Spaniards were only wounded. They
knew that an instant death had awaited all who fell into the hands
of their late slaves.

"Now," Ned said, "my friends, you must not suppose that your
fighting is over. The Spaniards will take the news back to the
town, and it is likely enough that we shall have a large force upon
us, in the course of a few days. I do not suspect that they will
come before that time. Indeed, it may be far longer, for they know
that it will require a very large force to search these woods; and
that, now our blood is up, it will be no trifle to overcome us in
our stronghold. If we are to succeed at last, labor, discipline,
and courage will all be required."

The negroes now besought the boys formally to take the command, and
promised to obey their orders, implicitly.

"Well," Ned said, "if you promise this, we will lead you. My friend
is older than I; and he shall be captain, and I will be first
lieutenant."

"No, no," Gerald said. "This must not be, Ned. I am the oldest, it
is true, by a few months; but you are far more active and quick
than I, and you have been the leader, ever since we left the ship.
I certainly will not take the command from you."

"Well, we will be joint generals," Ned said, laughing; "and I do
not think that our orders will clash."

He then explained, to the negroes and natives, the course which he
thought that they ought to pursue. First, every point at which the
enemy could be harassed should be provided with missiles. In the
second place, all signs of footsteps and paths leading to their
accustomed dwelling places should be obliterated. Thirdly, they
should fight as little as possible; it being their object to fight
when pursued and interfered with by small parties of Spaniards, but
to avoid conflict with large bodies.

"Our object," he said, "is to live free and unmolested here; and if
the Spanish find that, when they come in large numbers, they cannot
overtake us; and that, when they come in small ones, they are
defeated with loss; they will take to leaving us alone."

All agreed to this policy; and it was arranged that the women,
children, and most feeble of the natives should retire to almost
inaccessible hiding places, far in the mountains; and that the more
active spirits, with the negroes, and divided into five or six
bands, acting to some extent independently of each other, but yet