THE BLACK CAltlBS. 305 



and his dress was covered with blood. He was followed by Mus- 

 tapha, who carried a small chest, which, however, seemed very heavy : 

 both were out of breath. 



" Prepare to defend yourselves !" cried Belgrave ; " the bloody 



savages come ; they have just murdered ." Here his voice 



failed ; he added, " they have just butchered my wife my poor 

 Emilia ! See ! I have saved this dear innocent, whom the barbarians 

 would have slaughtered yes, they would have hacked to pieces my 

 dear infant before her father's face. But, haste, defend yourselves, 

 or you are lost !" 



The advice of Belgrave was instantly taken. The females of the 

 establishment concealed themselves in the thick shelter of a neigh- 

 bouring cane-piece. Every kind of arms procurable was seized on 

 by all the white men on the estate, who assembled in the windmill, 

 the only building capable of any thing like a defence, and the 

 negroes swore they would protect their master's property while they 

 could wield a weapon. A few of these known to be expert marks- 

 men were taken up into the mill,* and as their supply of powder was 

 limited, the great body of the slaves, armed with pistols, pikes, and 

 cutlasses, were placed in ambush, and ordered to attack the brigands 

 in the rear, should occasion serve. The command of this division was 

 intrusted to Belgrave, whose sorrows were at the moment absorbed 

 by thirst of revenge. 



<f Mustapha !" said Belgrave, fc take this child; follow the women 

 into the cane-piece, protect it it is my last hope. Look not at the 

 chest curses on the heap of gold. Do as I bid you." 



Mustapha placed the treasure in a remote part of the building ; 

 then caught up the child, and departed, while Belgrave, calling to 

 the slaves to follow him, disappeared. Scarcely had these events 

 taken place, ere the enemy, 200 in number, appeared, led by the 

 noted chief, Chatoyer. They advanced with loud cries; many bear- 

 ing torches, by the red glare of which they looked like demons ex- 

 ulting in their work of desolation. They burst into the house ; but 

 not finding its inhabitants, they rushed towards the sugar works. 

 No one was to be found in any of the places examined ; at length 

 they proceeded to search the mill. Thither they went, but found the 

 steps pulled up ; while, at a signal, the whites, with a loud shout, 

 showered down a quantity of missiles, such as heavy stones and ox 

 yokes, which crushed and maimed numbers. The most daring began 

 to scale the walls ; but the missiles of the besieged descended on them 

 with such irresistible force as to destroy all who were hardy enough 

 to approach. Another party desperately attempted to scale the arms 

 of the mill ; these were slain by the same description of ponderous 

 materials which destroyed their fellows. All this time a slow but 

 steady fire was kept up on' the enemy by the besieged; none but 

 good marksmen were allowed to fire, and these too well knew the 

 value of their scanty store of ammunition to waste it uselessly. At 

 every discharge a man fell. The brigands seemed to hesitate ; they 

 had no great guns, and the brave occupiers of the mill were sheltered 



* Windmills in the West Indies are much larger than in England. 



