out to me in English, as well as he could, "O master! you see English mans eats prisoner as well as savage mans. "Why, Friday," said I, "do you think they are going to eat them then? ""Yes," said Friday, "they will eat them.""No, no," said I, "Friday; I am only afraid they will murder them, but you may be sure they will not eat them.”

It was just at high water when these people came on shore; and while they rambled about to see what kind of a place they were in, they had carelessly stayed till the tide was spent, and the water had ebbed considerably away, leaving their boat aground. They had left two men in the boat, who, as I found afterwards, having drunk a little too much brandy, had fallen asleep. However, one of them waking a little sooner than the other, and finding the boat too fast aground for him to stir it, hallooed out for the rest, who were straggling about; upon which they all soon came to the boat. But it was past all their strength to launch her, the boat being very heavy, and the shore on that side being a soft oozy sand, almost like quick sand.

In this condition, like true seamen, who are, perhaps, the least of all mankind given to forethought, they gave up the attempt, and away they strolled about the country again; and I heard one of them say aloud to another, calling them off from the boat, "Why, let her alone, Jack, can't you? she'll float. next tide." By this I was fully confirmed in the main question as to what countrymen they were.

All this while I kept myself very quiet, not once daring to stir out of my castle, any farther than to my place of observation, near the top of the hill; and very glad I was to think how well it was fortified. I knew it was no less than ten hours before the boat could float again, and by that time it would be dark, and I might be at more liberty to see their motions, and to hear their conversation. In the meantime, I equipped myself for a battle, as before, though with more

caution, knowing I had to do with another kind of enemy than I had at first. I ordered Friday also, whom I had made an excellent marksman with his gun, to load himself with arms. I myself took two fowling-pieces, and I gave him three muskets. My figure, indeed, was very fierce; I had my formidable goat-skin on, with a huge cap, a naked sword by my side, two pistols in my belt, and a gun upon each shoulder.

THE STORY OF THE WHITE SAVAGES.

It was my design, as I said above, not to have made any attempt till it was dark; but about two o'clock, being the heat of the day, I found that the sailors had all gone straggling into the woods, and, as I thought, lain down to sleep. The three poor distressed men, too anxious about their condition to get any sleep, had, however, sat down under the shelter of a great tree, at about a quarter of a mile from me, and, as I thought, out of sight of any of the rest. Upon this, I resolved to show myself to them, and to learn something of their condition. Immediately, I marched above, my man Friday at a good distance behind me, as terrible for his arms as I.

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as

I came as near them as I could conveniently do, and then, before any of them saw me, I called aloud, in Spanish, "What are ye, gentlemen?" They started up at the sound, but were ten times more confounded when they saw me, and the uncouth figure that I made. They made no answer at all, but I thought I perceived them just going to flee from me. When I spoke to them in English: Gentlemen," said I, "do not be surprised at me; perhaps you may have a friend near, when you least expected it." "He must be sent directly from Heaven, then," said one of them very gravely to me, and pulling off his hat at the same time to me; "for our condition is past the help of man." "All help is from Heaven, sir," said I: "but can you put a stranger

in the way to help you? for you seem to be in some great distress. I saw you when you landed; and when you seemed to make supplication to the brutes that came with you, I saw one of them lift up his sword to kill you."

The poor man, with tears running down his face and trembling, looked like one astonished, replied, "Am I talking to a real man, or an angel?" "Be in no fear about that, sir," said I; "if God had sent an angel to relieve you, he would have come better clothed, and armed after another manner than you see me. Pray, lay aside your fears; I am a man, an Englishman, and ready to assist you. You see I have one servant only; but we have arms and ammunition : tell us freely, can we serve you? What is your case?" "Our case, sir," said he, "is too long to tell you while our murderers are so near us; but, in short, sir, I was commander of that ship; my men have mutinied against me; they have been hardly prevailed on not to murder me, and at last have set me on shore in this lonely place, with these two men with me- one my mate, the other a passenger. We expected to perish, believing the place to be uninhabited, and knew not yet what to think of it.” "Where are these brutes, your enemies?" said I; do you know where they have gone?" "There they lie, sir," said he, pointing to a thicket of trees; for fear they have seen us, and heard have, they will certainly murder us all." "Have they any fire-arms?" said I. He answered, "They had only two pieces, one of which they left in the boat." "Well, then," said I, "leave the rest to me; I see they are all asleep; it is an easy thing to kill them all; but shall we rather take them prisoners?"

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my heart trembles you speak; if they

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He told me there were two desperate villains among them, whom it was scarce safe to show any mercy to; but, if they were secured, he believed all the rest would return

to their duty. I asked him which they were? He told me he could not at that distance distinguish them, but he would obey my orders in anything I would direct. "Well," said I, "let us retreat out of their view or hearing, lest they awake, and we will consult further."

They went back with me, till the woods covered us from them; and I showed a clear plan of attack. He said, very modestly, that he was loth to kill them if he could help it; but that the two he had mentioned were villains, and had been the authors of all the mutiny in the ship; that if they escaped, we should be undone still, for they would go on board and bring the whole ship's company, and destroy us all. "Well, then," said I, "necessity compels us to kill them, for it is the only way to save our own lives." However, seeing him still cautious of shedding blood, I told him they should go themselves, and manage as they thought fit.

Now," said I, Animated with

In the middle of this conversation we heard some of the sailors awake, and soon after we saw two of them on their feet. I asked him if either of them were the heads of the mutiny? He said, "No." "Well, then," said I, “you may let them escape; and Providence seems to have awakoned them on purpose to save their lives. "if the rest escape you, it is your fault." this, he took the musket, I had given him, in his hand, and a pistol in his belt, and was joined by his two comrades, each with a piece in his hand. The two men who were with him made some noise, at which one of the seamen, who was awake, turned about, and seeing them coming, cried out to the rest; but it was too late then, for the moment he cried out, they fired I mean the two men, for the captain wisely reserved his own fire. They had so well aimed their shot at the men they knew, that one of them was killed on the spot, and the other very much wounded;

but not being dead, he started up on his feet, and called eagerly for help to the other. The captain, stepping up to him, told him it was too late to cry for help; he should call upon God to forgive his villany, and with that word knocked him down with the stock of his musket, so that he never spoke more. There were three more in the company, and one of them was slightly wounded.

By this time I had approached; and when they saw their danger, and that it was in vain to resist, they begged for mercy. The captain told them he would spare their lives if they would give him an assurance of their hatred of the treachery they had been guilty of, and would swear to be faithful to him in recovering the ship, and afterwards in carrying her back to Jamaica, whence they came. They gave him the most solemn and sincere promises that could be desired; and he was willing to believe them, and spare their lives—which I was not against-on the condition that they were kept bound hand and foot while they were on the island.

While this was being done, I sent Friday with the captain's mate to the boat with orders to secure her, and bring away the oars and sails, which they did; and by and by three men, who had been — happily for them · straggling from the rest, came back upon hearing the muskets fired. Seeing the captain, who was before their prisoner, now their conqueror, they submitted to be bound also ; and so our victory was complete.

WE DECOY THE OTHER MUTINEERS INTO AN AMBUSCADE.

Our business was to consider the necessity of recovering the ship. He agreed with me as to that, but told me he was perfectly at a loss what measures to take, for that there were still six-and-twenty hands on board, who, having entered into a conspiracy, by which they had all forfeited