THE SPANISH SLAVER. 281 



Antonio, and had gone over to the river Naza- 

 reth, on the main land, to load slaves. From the 

 freedom with which her crew had been spending 

 money, it was suspected she would prove to be 

 a pirate, (as indeed slavers generally on the out- 

 ward voyage make very little distinction between 

 meum and tuuni). He very promptly followed 

 her to Nazareth ; but his vessel drawing too much 

 water for the bar of that river, he was obliged to 

 enter it in his boats. On his approach, the crew 

 deserted the schooner, leaving a lighted match, 

 which happily was extinguished before communi- 

 cating with the powder by Captain Trotter and 

 his party. She was afterwards accidentally blown 

 up, and some lives were lost by the event. The 

 king of that part of the country, with whom the 

 Spanish captain and crew had taken refuge on 

 shore, refused to deliver them up, and Captain 

 Trotter not being able to force him, returned un- 

 successful to Fernando Po. 



While he was there, Mr. Becroft, who has a 

 commercial establishment at Fernando Po, and 

 another at Bimbia, on the main land, went over 

 to the latter place in a small schooner ; and while 

 there, nine Spanish seamen arrived in a little 

 boat, worn out by fatigues and hardships. They 



