appearing, the boat was hauled up on the beach, and the crew amused
themselves at leap-frog and other games, while my father and his two
attendants proceeded some way inland. Having had very good sport, and
filled their bags, my father sent back the midshipman and Paul to the
boat with the game, while he continued shooting, hoping to obtain some
more birds.

He had been thus employed for some time, and was thinking of returning,
when the sound of several shots reached his ears. These were followed
by a regular volley, and he had too much reason to fear that the
inhabitants had attacked the boat. Instead, therefore, of returning to
her, he made his way directly towards the shore. Emerging from the
forest, which reached almost to the water's edge, he saw the boat at
some distance off, with a party of men on the beach firing at her. His
hope was that Dicky and Paul had already got on board before the boat
shoved off. The distance was considerable, but still he hoped to be
able to swim to her; so, leaving his gun and ammunition, with the game
he had shot, under a tree, he plunged into the water. He had got some
distance from the shore when he found that he was discovered, by seeing
a shot strike the water not far from him. On looking round, what was
his dismay to perceive Dicky and Paul in the hands of the Spaniards! He
could not desert them, and consequently he at once turned and swam back,
hoping that by explaining their object in visiting the shore he might
obtain their release. But no sooner did he land than the Spaniards
rushed down and seized him. In vain he expostulated. "He and his
companions belonged to a ship of war, and they wished to be able to
boast that they had made three prisoners." They told him, however, that
if he would make signals to the boat to return, they would give him and
his younger companions their liberty. On his refusing to act so
treacherously, they became very angry, and bound his hands behind him,
as well as those of Dicky and Paul. The seamen at once pulled back to
the ship, when the captain sent a flag of truce on shore to try and
recover his surgeon and midshipman; but the Spaniards refused to give
them up.

After being kept prisoners for some time, they were sent down to Panama.
Here, though strictly guarded, they were not ill-treated; and when it
became known that my father was a surgeon, many persons, of all ranks,
applied to him for advice. He was thus the means of