346 A SPANISH SLAVER. 



and no sun was visible for three days. Our water 

 was getting scarce, owing to the great consump- 

 tion by the cattle; we had had no bread for eight 

 months, and no spirits of any kind for seven. 



When off Old Calabar river, at noon on the 

 8th, a brig was observed on the larboard bow, 

 standing in shore. I had only two hours' wood 

 on board, and thought it possible I might obtain 

 a further supply from her. Supposing her to be 

 a palm-oil vessel, I immediately ordered steam 

 to be got up, and fired two guns. At the dis- 

 charge of the second gun, her main-yard was 

 thrown back, and on my getting near to her she 

 hoisted the Spanish flag. She was a large Spa- 

 nish brig, with nearly eighty men on board, and 

 mounting six guns and a large carronade. I 

 asked the captain, a short little man, for a sup- 

 ply of wood. He replied, he had none. I then 

 asked him for a bottle of rum, for the men, who, 

 with myself, were completely exhausted by fa- 

 tigue. He replied, that the rum was at the 

 bottom of the ship, and that they had no bread. 

 I offered him goods or even a bullock in ex- 

 change, but he would not supply me with any- 

 thing. He, no doubt, suspected us of being a 

 tender to a man-of-war, or, probably, of being 



