But that very Night, which was near a month after the Mutiny on board of us at _Mumfort_, the Moon shining now very bright, as it did then, we heard, about ten a Clock, two or three Musquets fired on board the _Elizabeth_. Upon that I ordered all our Boats to be manned, and having secured every thing in our Ship, to prevent our Slaves from mutinying, I went my self in our Pinnace, (the other Boats following me) on board the _Elizabeth_. In our way we saw two Negroes swimming from her, but before we could reach them with our Boats, some _Sharks_ rose from the bottom, and tore them in Pieces. We came presently along the side of the Ship, where we found two Men-Negroes holding by a Rope, with their Heads just above water; they were afraid, it seems, to swim from the Ship’s side, having seen their Companions devoured just before by the Sharks. These two Slaves we took into our Boat, and then went into the Ship, where we found the Negroes very quiet, and all under Deck; but the Ship’s Company was on the Quarter-deck, in a great Confusion, saying, “The Cooper, who had been placed centry at the Fore-hatch way, over the Men-Negroes, was, they believed, kill’d by them.” I was surprized to hear this, wondring that these cowardly fellows, who had so vigorously opposed my taking the Slaves out, a few hours before, had not Courage enough to venture forward, to save their Ship-mate; but had secured themselves by shutting the Quarter-deck-door, where they all stood with Arms in their Hands. So I went to the fore-part of the Ship with some of my People, and there we found the Cooper lying on his back quite dead, his Scull being cleft asunder with a Hatchet that lay by him. At the sight of this I called for the Linguist, and bid him ask the _Negroes_ between Decks, “Who had killed the white Man?” They answered, “They knew nothing of the matter; for there had been no design of mutinying amongst them:” Which upon Examination we found true; for above one hundred of the Negroes then on board, being bought to Windward, did not understand a word of the _Gold-Coast_ Language, and so had not been in the Plot. But this Mutiny was contrived by a few _Cormantee-Negroes_, who had been purchased about two or three days before. At last, one of the two Men-Negroes we had taken up along the Ship side, impeached his Companion, and he readily confessed he had kill’d the Cooper, with no other View, but that he and his Countrymen might escape undiscovered by swimming on Shore. For on their coming upon Deck, they observed, that all the white Men set to watch were asleep; and having found the Cook’s Hatchet by the Fire-place, he took it up, not designing then to do any Mischief with it; but passing by the Cooper, who was centry, and he beginning to awake, the Negroe rashly struck him on the head with it, and then jump’d overboard. Upon this frank Confession, the white Men would have cut him to Pieces; but I prevented it, and carried him to my own Ship.