e men looked surprised at this order, and uttered deep curses as they
prepared to obey; for their wrath was roused, and they burned for
revenge. Three or four of them hesitated, and seemed disposed to
mutiny.

"Don't distress yourselves, lads," said the mate, while a bitter smile
curled his lip. "Obey orders. The captain's not the man to take an
insult tamely. If Long Tom does not speak presently, I'll give myself
to the sharks."

The men smiled significantly as they pulled from the shore, which was
now crowded with a dense mass of savages, amounting probably to five or
six hundred. We had not rowed off above a couple of hundred yards when
a loud roar thundered over the sea, and the big brass gun sent a
withering shower of grape point-blank into the midst of the living mass,
through which a wide lane was cut; while a yell, the like of which I
could not have imagined, burst from the miserable survivors as they fled
to the woods. Amongst the heaps of dead that lay on the sand just where
they had fallen, I could distinguish mutilated forms writhing in agony;
while ever and anon one and another rose convulsively from out the mass,
endeavoured to stagger towards the wood, and ere they had taken a few
steps, fell and wallowed on the bloody sand. My blood curdled within me
as I witnessed this frightful and wanton slaughter; but I had little
time to think, for the captain's deep voice came again over the water
towards us: "Pull ashore, lads, and fill your water-casks!" The men
obeyed in silence, and it seemed to me as if even their hard hearts were
shocked by the ruthless deed. On gaining the mouth of the rivulet at
which we intended to take in water, we found it flowing with blood; for
the greater part of those who were slain had been standing on the banks
of the stream, a short way above its mouth. Many of the wretched
creatures had fallen into it; and we found one body, which had been
carried down, jammed between two rocks, with the staring eyeballs turned
towards us, and his black hair waving in the ripples of the blood-red
stream. No one dared to oppose our landing now, so we carried our casks
to a pool above the murdered group, and having filled them, returned on
board. Fortunately a breeze sprang up soon afterwards, and carried us
away from the dreadful spot; but it could not waft me away from the
memory of what I had seen.

"And this," thought I, gazing in horror at the captain, who, with a
quiet look of