plied the trader; "they often come up
here for cargoes of niggers."

"Och! the blackguards!" exclaimed Phil Briant, all his blood rising at
the mere mention of the horrible traffic; "couldn't we land, capting,
and give them a lickin'? I'll engage meself to put six at laste o' the
spalpeens on their beam-ends."

"No, Phil, we shan't land for that purpose; but we'll land for some
gunpowder an' a barrel or two of plantains; so give way, lads."

In another moment the bow of the canoe slid upon the mud-bank of the
river close to the slaver's boat, which was watched by a couple of the
most villainous-looking men that ever took part in that disgraceful
traffic. They were evidently Portuguese sailors, and the scowl of their
bronzed faces, when they saw the canoe approach the landing-place,
showed that they had no desire to enter into amicable converse with the
strangers.

At this moment the attention of the travellers was drawn to a gang of
slaves who approached the wharf, chained together by the neck, and
guarded by the crew of the Portuguese boat. Ailie looked on with a
feeling of dread that induced her to cling to her father's hand, while
the men stood with folded arms, compressed lips, and knitted brows.

On the voyage up they had landed at this station, and had seen the
slaves in their places of confinement. The poor creatures were
apparently happy at that time, and seemed totally indifferent to their
sad fate; but their aspect was very different now. They were being
hurried away, they knew not whither, by strangers whom they had been
taught to believe were monsters of cruelty besides being cannibals, and
who had purchased them for the purpose of killing them and eating their
bodies. The wild, terrified looks of the men, and the subdued looks and
trembling gait of the women showed that they expected no mercy at the
hands of their captors.

They hung back a little as they drew near to the boat, whereupon one of
their conductors, who seemed to be in command of the party, uttered a
fierce exclamation in Portuguese, and struck several of the men and
women indiscriminately severe blows with his fists. In a few minutes
they were all placed in the boat, and the crew had partly embarked, when
Phil Briant, unable to restrain himself, muttered between his teeth to
the Portuguese commander as he passed--

"Ye imp o' darkness, av I only had ye in the ring for tshwo minits--jist
tshwo--ah thin, wouldn't I polish ye off."