enough. We were in a land of
slavery, and that meant that everything evil was possible.

The last of the living freight had been landed, and arranged in
marching trim they were turned with their faces inland, staggering as
they went, their swollen and cramped limbs hardly able to sustain the
weight of their bodies. They were all secured with handcuffs, twenty
in a lot, between whom,--there being ten on a side,--a pole was
placed, and each was fastened by a chain running through the steel
handcuffs to the pole. An armed Spaniard directed each lot. The faces
of all were quite expressionless. They had just endured such horrors
packed beneath the deck of the brigantine that the present change must
have been welcome to them, lame as they were.

We had been so completely engaged in watching the colored gangs and in
moving up to our lookout station of the early morning that our
thoughts had not reverted to anything else, but as the last lot filed
by there boomed over the waters of the bay the heavy report of a gun,
at once calling our attention seaward. A change had come over the
scene. That which has taken some space to relate had transpired with
great rapidity. Night had settled over the scene, but the moon and
stars were so marvelously bright as to render objects almost as plain
as by day. The ocean lay like a sheet of silver, luminous with the
reflected light poured upon it by the sparkling skies. Looking towards
the southeast, we saw the French cruiser rounding the headland which
formed the eastern arm of the little bay, and she had already sent a
shot across the water aimed at the brigantine. Don Herero had
prognosticated correctly. The slaver had led the cruiser a fruitless
chase and lost her among the islands, and then returning to her former
anchorage had successfully discharged her cargo. Her tactics could not
have been anticipated by the cruiser, yet had an armed party been left
behind in boats, the brigantine might have been captured on her
return. But then again, if the cruiser had left a portion of her crew
at this point, the slaver would have been notified by the friends on
shore, and would have sought a landing elsewhere.

The brigantine had cast off her moorings and was now standing seaward,
with her sails filled. We could distinctly see a quarter boat leave
her side manned by some of her crew, who at once pulled towards the
nearest landing. At the same time a bright blaze sprang up on board
the slaver just