intolerable pain in all my limbs, but particularly in my legs. On a
chair beside me sat the cook; he told me that lemonade had been
prepared for me; I took some of it, and asked him to support me, that
I might look at my legs; they were frightfully burnt; in some places
the bone was exposed. While I was examining them, the captain
appeared, looked at my horrible wounds, and said, with a show of
compassion:

"Helmsman, ask for whatsoever you want, and you, cook, see that he has
it. Make haste and get better; by heaven, I hope you'll get over it."

With these words he left me. I called for a better bed, the medicine
chest, lint, and bandages; every thing was instantly brought, and I
did my best to soothe my sufferings. I inquired of my officious
attendants where we were, and learnt, to my surprise, that we were
again at anchor in the harbour. The captain had decided that the brig
was an English man-of-war, and had made a hasty retreat to a place of
safety.

After dinner, the cook made his appearance again, and as he had
nothing else to do, remained with me. He informed me that the captain,
a naturally quick-tempered, tyrannical man, was a perfect tiger when
he was in a passion, that he had already shot and stabbed twenty of
his men with his own hands, and begged me to be upon my guard, for I
had not a man, but a monster, to deal with.

"Whatever you want," he added, compassionately, "let me know, and be
assured that I mean you well."

With this comforting assurance he departed, while I prepared a cooling
salve and bandaged my wounds neatly. I drank quantities of lemonade
and broth, and felt that as the afternoon wore on, the heat in my
limbs was subsiding. Towards sunset, the kind cook again appeared, to
see how I was, and to inform me that the captain was raging like a
maniac on deck, for a coasting vessel had brought him news that my
former captain had sailed straight for Havana, and had there made all
sorts of complaints with regard to the robbery that he had sustained.
While he was speaking the captain himself rushed into the cabin.

"See," he cried, "what rogues your countrymen are. Spite of my
commands, that traitor sailed directly for Havana and entered a
complaint against me. But I know how to deal with him; I have sent
four bold fellows after him; he is a dead man if he lingers two days
longer, and to make all sure, I shall send a fifth this evening, who
understands his business well, and will despatch him