keep up a
constant fire upon the windows of the various buildings. Then, as soon
as the guns were landed, two of them were loaded with double charges of
grape, for the purpose of clearing the bush of the hidden foe, while the
remaining two were double shotted and then run close up to the
barricaded doors of the buildings, which were thus blown in, one after
the other. As each door was blown in the building to which it belonged
was stormed; the enemy, however, contriving to effect an exit by the
rear as our lads poured in at the front. In ten minutes the whole of
the buildings were ours, without further casualties on our side; after
which we set them on fire and, waiting until they were well alight,
retired in good order to the boats, in which we hauled off far enough to
enable us to effectively cover the burning buildings with our musketry
fire and thus defeat any attempt to extinguish the flames. An hour
later the entire settlement was reduced to a heap of smouldering ashes;
whereupon we pulled away round to the main stream once more by way of
the back of the island, in search of further possible barracoons, but
found none.

Our loss in this affair, considering its importance, was comparatively
slight, amounting as it did to two killed--of whom one was the skipper--
and seven wounded. But we were a sorrowful party as we left the lagoon
behind us and found ourselves once more in the main stream and on our
way back to the ship; for Captain Harrison was beloved by everybody,
fore and aft, and we all felt that we could better have spared any one
else than him.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE WRECK OF THE PSYCHE.

Our journey down the river was a very different affair from that of our
upward passage; for whereas in the latter we had been compelled to force
our way against an adverse current, we now had that current favouring
us; thus it came about that although the sun had passed the meridian
when the boats emerged from the Camma Lagoon, after destroying the slave
factory therein, it yet wanted an hour to sunset when the gig, still
leading the rest of the flotilla, entered the last reach of the river
and we once more caught sight and sound of the breakers beyond the bar.

Mr Perry, the late first lieutenant, who now, by the death of Captain
Harrison, had automatically become acting captain of the _Psyche_, had
turned over the command of the launch to the master's mate, for the
return passage, and was in the gig with me;