o the
Bay of Guantimo; it's away there on the southern coast of Cuba, towards
the east end. The admiral had received information that Don Pepe, the
very rascal whose acquaintance we made on the coast of Africa, and who
is now settled at Havannah, was fitting out a large and powerful craft,
calculated to give a little pigmy, like you, some trouble.

"We came off Guantimo just before dark. It is, I should say, a
beautiful and deep bay, with numerous small harbours in it, in which
slavers may hide securely without any risk of being seen by our
cruisers, unless expressly looked for. As we were standing in,
intending to run up the bay, we made out a large brig at anchor with
sails loose, ready for sea. She had a suspicious look about her,
unusually square yards, taunt and raking masts, and low black hull.
Though she might be well armed and disposed to show fight, had you for
instance attempted to question her, she would not, of course, dare to
resist the frigate; and as she could not escape us, we felt pretty sure
that, should she be what we suspected, she would soon become our prize.

"We had got some little way up the bay, and within half a mile of her,
when the wind fell. We were by this time more certain than ever, from
her appearance, that she was a slaver, and the captain therefore ordered
a shot to be fired close ahead of her, that we might see how she would
take it. She made no reply, neither hoisted colours, nor attempted to
get under weigh.

"`At all events we will see what she is,' said the captain. He then
ordered me and Norris to take the pinnace and jollyboat, and board her.
The men had just time to buckle on their cutlasses before they tumbled
into the boats. I was sorry after we had shoved off that they were not
better armed, for the Spaniards might very possibly try to play us some
trick or other, such as heaving cold shot into our boat and knocking us
on the head as we got alongside, though they were much more likely to
blow up their vessel or to run her on shore and make their escape. As
we pulled on, we observed numerous boats passing from the brig to the
shore, and we felt pretty certain that the fellows were landing the
unfortunate slaves, so that we should not be in time to rescue them. I
ordered our men to give way, in the hopes of saving some of the poor
wretches, and a single slave remaining on board would, of course, be
enough to condemn her. It was now nearly dark, though we could sti