m^ 164 



BURIED ALIVE. 



About three o 'clock, p. m., when we were within ten miles of 

 the Cape, without any appearance of the tender, we fell in with 

 a Liverpool trader, who was bound to the Brass River to load 

 palm oil and sandalwood. She reported that the niglit before 

 they had come across a Spaniard, who fired into them, when they 

 sheered to with an intent to speak him. The master said, that 

 when first seen, the strange sail was standing right in for the 

 river ahead of us ; and, from the noises he heard, he was sure he 

 had negroes on board. It was therefore conjectured that she 

 was one of the vessels who had taken in part of her cargo of 

 slaves at the Bonny River, and was now bound for the Nun or 

 Brass River to complete it. They were if anything more con- * 

 firmed in this by the circumstance of his keeping away, and 

 standing to the south-west, the moment he found they were 

 hauling in for the land, as if anxious to mislead them, by inducing 

 a belief that he was off for the West Indies or Brazil. This was 

 the sum total of the information received from the Liverpool-man; 

 but the same afternoon we fell in with an American, who rejoiced 

 our hearts by saying that he had that morning been chased by a 

 vessel answering the description of the felucca, and immediately 

 after we hove about, and stood out to sea again, making sail in 

 the direction indicated. 



The next forenoon I was the officer of the watch, and, about 

 nine o' clock the Commodore, who had just come on deck, 

 addressed me : — *' Mr. Brail, do you see any thing of the small 

 hooker yet, to windward there?" 



** I thought I saw something like her, sir, about half an hour 

 ago, but a blue haze has come rolling down, and I cannot make 

 any thing out at present." 



*' She must be thereabouts somewhere, however," continued 

 he, " as she was seen yesterday by the Yankee brig, — so keep by 

 the wind until four bells, Mr. Brail, and then call me, if you 

 please." 



" Ay, ay, sir ; " and I resumed my walk on the weather side 

 of the quarter-deck. 



As the breeze freshened the mist blew, off", and, unexpectedly 

 enough, although we knew she must be in our neighbourhood, 

 in half an hour afterwards the felucca was seen about three miles 

 to windward of us, staggering along before it like a large nautilus 

 under her solitary lateen sail, and presently she was close aboard 

 of us. 



