tribe, whose chief village was but a few leagues from Don Leonardo's
factory. At first it was difficult to make out the actual purport of
their scheme, though Charles Bramble could guess what he did not hear,
and was satisfied that the cannibals intended to lead him, apparently in
good faith, to the neighborhood of their village, where he was to be
seized, sacrificed to some deity of these poor ignorant creatures'
manufacture, and afterwards be eaten in council with great ceremony. All
this he could distinctly make out, and certainly it was anything but
agreeable to him. But Charles Bramble knew the race he had to deal with;
he fully understood the fact that one after white man with his wits
about him was equal to cope with a dozen of them at any time, and he
felt prepared.

He gathered at once that it was their intention to guide him safely
until near their own village, where they would seize upon him, and from
that moment make him a prisoner. Meanwhile none but his guide was to be
seen by the traveller, so it was agreed, and he was to receive care and
kind attention until the time appointed. Knowing all this, of course he
was prepared for it, and now saw that for the present and the few coming
days, he need have no alarm, and beyond that he must trust to his ready
wit, personal prowess, and the indomitable courage which was natural to
him. It may seem strange, but reasoning thus, he soon fell to sleep
again in good earnest.

The next morning, he met his guide with frankness, and the best of
feeling seemed to prevail day after day, until suddenly one evening
before night had fairly set in, and the day before he had anticipated
any such attempt, the negroes suddenly fell upon him, and pinned his
arms, and otherwise disabled him, so that he was completely at their
mercy. Already they had arrived at the environs of their village, and
into it they bore him in great triumph. Council was at once held, and it
was resolved that on the morrow the prisoner should be sacrificed, and
cooked, and eaten! This was anything but agreeable to our adventurer,
but he did not despair. Thrusting his hand into his pack, he discovered
an almanac that he had brought with him from Cuba.

Turning over the hieroglyphics and singular figures, to the wonder and
amusement of the negroes, he saw that on the morrow an eclipse of the
sun would take place, and he immediately resolved to turn the fact to
good account. He summoned the chief of the trib