About fifty human beings, chiefly women, were saved, and placed, huddled together, in the centre of the open space; presently several of the white Spaniards, who had held on in the shed amidst flame and smoke, that I thought more than sufficient to have suffocated any man of woman born, started off into the woods, and disappeared, all to the five whom we had seized, and who were placed beside, and secured along with the captive blacks. Those we had taken were surly, fierce-looking bravoes; who, when asked any questions as to the name and character of their vessel, only smiled savagely, as much as to say--"_Our_ vessel! where is she _now_? You are none the better for _her_ at all events!" "Brail, my dear," said Lieutenant Sprawl, "since you stand pilot, what is to be done? Had we not better be off with our white prisoners while the play is good?" "If the tide will let us," said I; "but the boats as yet are high and dry in the creek, and we have lost the only opportunity that offered for burning the polacre; had we confined ourselves to that object, and kept the boats afloat, we might have accomplished it where she lies at low water." "Better as it is," rejoined Sprawl--"better as it is; we found no slaves on board, and might have got into a scrape had we set fire to her in cold blood.--No, no! let us be off, and try and launch the boats. Here, men, secure your prisoners; shall we carry the black Broker--this respectable resetter of human beings--with us, Brail--eh?" "Why, we had better," said I; "we may get some information out of the vagabond; so kick him up, Moses;"--he was at this moment lying on his back, again shamming a trance--"up with him, pique him with your boarding pike, my man." The seaman I had addressed did as he was desired; but the fellow was now either dead-drunk, or had sufficient nerve to control any expression of pain, for the deuced hard thumps and sharp progues he received, produced no apparent effect. He lay like a log through them all; even the pain of the wound in his arm seemed insufficient to keep him awake. "Why, what is that--do you hear that?" said Lanyard, in great alarm; for several dropping shots now rattled in the direction of the boats. All was still for a minute, and every ear was turned to catch the sound, during which time we distinctly heard in the distance a loud voice hail,-- "Come out from beneath the bushes there, you villains, or we shall fire a volley."