, and that we shall all
be murdered!" exclaimed the master of the house, who had just hurried in
with a rifle in his hand. "Gentlemen, we may defend ourselves, and sell
our lives dearly, but that is all I can hope for."

"Let us see what can be done," said Captain Helfrich coolly. "This
house may not stand a long siege, perhaps, though we'll do our best to
prepare it. We'll block up the windows and all outlets as fast as we
can. See, get all the rice and coffee bags to be found, and fill them
with earth; we may soon build up a tolerably strong fortification."

The captain's confidence and coolness encouraged others, and every one
set to work with a will to make the proposed preparations. All the
household slaves, and several blacks residing in the neighbouring huts
had come into the house to share their master's fortunes but the greater
number had run away and hid themselves. There was no lack of muskets
and ammunition; indeed, there were among us weapons sufficient to arm
twice as many men as were assembled. The white gentlemen were generally
full of fight, and began to talk hopefully of quickly driving back the
Maroons: but the blacks were in a great state of excitement, and ran
about the house chattering like so many monkeys, tumbling over each
other, and rather impeding than forwarding the work to be done.

Though matters were serious enough, I, with a youngster's
thoughtlessness, enjoyed a fit of laughter while we were in the middle
and hottest hurry of our preparations. It happened that two stout
blackies rushed into the hall from different quarters, one bearing on
his back a sack of earth, the other a bundle of canes or battens. Tilt
they went with heads stooping down right against each other. Their
skulls met with a clap like thunder, and both went sprawling over on
their backs, with their legs up in the air. The sack burst, and out
tumbled the earth; and the bundle of canes separating, lay in a confused
heap.

"For what you do dat, Jupiter?" exclaimed he of the canes, as he jumped
up ready to make another butt at his opponent.

"Oh, ki! you stupid Caesar, you 'spose I got eyes all round," replied
Jupiter, leaping on his legs with the empty sack hanging round his nook,
and stooping down his head ready to receive the expected assault.

The black knights were on the point of meeting, and would probably each
have had another fall, when one of the overseers passing bestowed a few
kicks upon Caesar.