î28 
SPlLSBUilY's VOYAGE TO AFRTC.4. 
decks— it was all one. The captaîîi thuiking to stop him from 
thus annoying him, made him a present of an umbrella; bat this 
only increased his ardour, for he put it under his arm, strumming 
on it as if it were a guitar. At this time, we had our prisoners 
ail aft, with a netting separating them from the quarter deck. 
They now took his attention; and he made the most horrid 
grimaces at them, with signs of cutting their diroats ; drawing 
out his knife, and singing; or rather vociferating all the time. 
We asked him to go below, and had some rice boiled for him, 
but he would drink nothing but sugar and water. He proceeded 
to sing as usual, to our great annoyance. Our purser at length 
gave him a present of a French pistol ; this not only increased 
the noise of the singing man, but evidently displeased the 
general ; and to prevent his chagrin, I was obliged to give him 
a pair of the purser's shoes. Every thing was now settled ami- 
cably; and they departed in high glee, often calling on board 
the privateer. We now found the Blanchard had only the day 
before got her men from slavery on shore ; and the captain 
nobly declared he would sooner be taken, than leave his men hi 
that situation : otherwise he would undoubtedly have got 
away. The fact was, they went to cut out an English tradiîig 
brig up the river, but in their attempt, they were taken by the 
natives ; and the gentlemen with much difiiculty saved their lives. 
The river is so extremely narrow, and vvood grows so close, 
down to the edge, that volleys of musquetry could be poured on 
them without seeing whence the fning came. We had at 
this time on board as passengers. Lieutenant Odium of the 
African corps, and his lady, lie was the only person wounded 
in the action, and that slightly, the ball entering his shoes and 
bruising his foot. We had also one boy extremely ill of a 
fever. 
December CQth. This day the Arab joined us ; and twenty- 
four people now fell ill of a fever. I can only account for this, 
by recollecting what happened on our goiug hito the river ; from 
the time we began pulling our s^vveeps, to the time we commenced 
action, we were constantly stirring up the mud. 
Our black pilot in his own idea was certainly a very great man. 
He received his money for piloting tiie ship over the bar; and 
then immcdiatefy asked for his prir-^e-money. He behaved ex^ 
txaordinarily well duriiîg the action : he asked the captain for a 
musquet, which when given him he used like a bu>h-tighter, 
ioading and ûnug with much rapidity from behind the 
foremast. 
We returned over the Bar as we came, and anchored in thre& 
and half fathoms water, Rio Pongos bearing N. by E. tinee or 
four leagjues; sent fift^-four prisoners on board the Arab. Ou 
