THE AMERICANS AND THE ABORIGINES. 397 



" Let him go ! Let him go ! Holy Yirgin ! " 

 yelled the three Mexicans, as one of them who had 

 approached the Englishman was knocked bellowing 

 into his place by a furious blow of the oar. " It's 

 the devil himself ! " cried the pirates, and one of 

 them pushed the negro towards Hodges. 



" Stand back ! " cried the midshipman, " and take 

 off his neck-iron. If you strangle him, you are all 

 dead men." 



One of the Mexicans laid hold of the negro, who 

 was coiled up like a ball, and drew the chain out of 

 the collar. The poor slave's limbs fell back, dead 

 and powerless as pieces of wood. A gasping, rattling 

 noise in his throat alone denoted that life was still 

 in him. 



" Stand back ! " repeated Hodges, stooping down, 

 and endeavouring, by vigorous friction with a blanket, 

 to restore the negro to consciousness. During this 

 life-and-death struggle, the boat, left at the mercy of 

 the waters, had been borne swiftly away by the 

 stream, and was now floating amongst a number of 

 the enormous trees which the Mississippi carries 

 down by thousands to the sea. The Mexicans re- 

 sumed their places, and with their utmost strength 

 began to pull up-stream. ~Not far from the frail 

 skiff, beneath the mantle of fog covering the river, 

 a huge tree-trunk was seen coming directly towards 

 the boat Hodges had barely time to bid the Mexi- 

 cans be careful, when it shot by them. As it did so, 



