would compel the officers of the English cruiser to
slacken their speed while picking the poor wretches up, and thus give
the slaver a better chance of escape. (This I have seen done myself,
fortunately unavailingly.)

I will now ask the reader to bring his thoughts back to the coast of
Brazil, where a good look-out was being kept for such vessels as I have
mentioned as leaving the African coast with live cargo on board bound
for the Brazilian waters. Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, was the
headquarters of the principal slave-owners. It was there that all
arrangements were made regarding the traffic in slaves, the despatch of
the vessels in which they were to be conveyed, the points on which they
were to land, &c., and it was at Rio that the slave-vessels made their
rendezvous before and after their voyages. It was there also that the
spies on whose information we acted were to be found, and double-faced
scoundrels they were, often giving information which caused the capture
of a small vessel with few slaves on board, while the larger vessel,
with twice the number, was landing her cargo unmolested.

As for myself, I was at the time of life when enterprise was necessary
for my existence, and so keenly did I join in the slave-hunting mania
that I found it dangerous to land in the town of Rio for fear of
assassination.

My captain, seeing how enthusiastic I was in the cause, which promised
prize-money if not renown, encouraged me by placing me in a position
that, as a humble midshipman, I was scarcely entitled to, gave me his
confidence, and thus made me still more zealous to do something, if only
to show my gratitude.

Having picked up all the information possible as regarded the movements
of the slave vessels, we started on a cruise, our minds set particularly
on the capture of a celebrated craft called the 'Lightning,' a vessel
renowned for her great success as a slave ship, whose captain declared
(this made our mission still more exciting) that he would show fight,
especially if attacked by English men-of-war boats when away from the
protection of their ships.

I must mention that it was the custom of the cruisers on the coast of
Brazil to send their boats on detached service, they (the boats) going
in one direction while the vessels they belonged to went in another,
only communicating every two or three days. Proud indeed for me was the
moment when, arriving near to the spot on the coast where the
'Lightn