AN ACCIDENT. 
13 
had a soothing influence which invited to meditation 
and pleasing anticipations for the future. Now it was 
the stillness of death, — broken only by the strokes and 
echoes of our paddle-w'heels and the melancholy song of 
the leadsmen, which seemed the knell and dirge of our 
dying comrades. The palm-trees, erst so graceful in their 
drooping leaves, were now gigantic hearse-like plumes. 
We were borne mournfully along, but without 
accident, till a strong current swept the vessel into 
a deep bending of the river, where the bank was 
overhung with what appeared to be the delicate 
foliage of shrubs, but which proved to be parasitical 
plants concealing the stump of a hard-hearted African 
oak, against which we were carried with such violence, 
that in an instant it tore away our beautiful galley, 
with the davits, tackles, and all the gear. The 
destruction was so complete that we might have 
thought the shattered remains of the boat not worth 
the time and waste of steam required for their re- 
coveiy, especially as we had already been taken a 
considerable distance below the scene of the disaster; 
when an unearthly yell was heard from the bush, and 
our people shouted out “The boy! the boy!” A 
black lad, in fact, had been heaving the lead from 
this boat, in which he now made a novel voyage. 
We had therefore to return and rescue him from his 
awkward situation. He was found perched in the 
bush, and fortunately unhurt. 
In order that Captain Trotter might not be alarmed 
