s kept constantly at work drawing water with which to
flood the deck; yet, despite this precaution, and despite, too, the
awnings which were now spread fore and aft, the pitch in the seams of
the planking became so soft that if I stood still for only a few seconds
I found myself stuck fast. I pitied the unfortunate blacks from the
bottom of my heart, for they were relentlessly kept toiling at those
horrible sweeps without intermission all through the day, and that, too,
upon a short allowance of water; but it was useless to interfere, for
even I had begun to understand by this time that, unless the brigantine
could be taken out of that awful region of apparently eternal calm,
every one of us, black and white together, must inevitably perish
miserably of thirst.

This terrible weather lasted all through that and the following day,
during which, with torment indescribable from thirst and the lash of the
boatswains' colts, the miserable slaves propelled the ship no less a
distance than one hundred and fifty miles. Oh, how fervently I begged
and entreated Mendouca to have mercy upon the unhappy creatures, and to
at least give orders that they must be no more flogged, even if
inexorable necessity demanded that they must be kept toiling at the
sweeps. But the wretch was as adamant, he laughed and jeered at my
sympathy with the poor creatures, and--as much, I believe, to annoy me
as for any other reason--persistently refused to give the order,
declaring that, since they would receive many a sound flogging when they
got ashore--if indeed they ever lived to reach it--it was just as well
that they should learn to endure the lash at once. At which brutal
statement I went temporarily mad, I think--at all events I did what
looked like a thoroughly mad thing; I went on deck and, walking up to
the boatswain, informed him that if he or his mate dared to strike a
negro again I would knock them both down. Mendouca, highly amused at my
heat and excitement on behalf of the negroes, had followed me on deck,
probably to see what I would next do; and upon hearing this threat he
called out, jeeringly--

"Look out, Jose, my man! Senor Dugdale has warned you, and you may be
sure that if you strike one of those niggers again he will carry out his
threat!"

The boatswain saw at once how the land lay, and that Mendouca was only
amusing himself at my expense; feeling confident therefore of his
captain's countenance and protection, I suppose