Leaves from a middy's log

by Arthur Lee Knight

Truly sped the bullet. Miguel gave one spasmodic leap into the air, and then fell with a thud on the sands—a lifeless corpse.

I had already thrown my pistol into the sea, stripped off my jacket, and got rid of my shoes. The gunner had done the same.

Ned rose swiftly to his feet without a word, and we all rushed into the water with the utmost celerity.

The fiendish yells to which our pursuers gave vent on seeing Miguel fall beggar description; and they were renewed again and again as they saw that we were trying to evade them by swimming out to the boat.

One or two of their number opened fire upon us as soon as they could collect themselves sufficiently; and the others shouted in a warning manner to the negroes in the boat, evidently directing their attention to our ruse, and ordering them to repel any attempt we might make on their craft.

The bullets, fortunately, did not hit us, for we were already in deep water, and a very small portion of our persons was visible to the marksmen.

What we had to dread was a hostile attitude on the part of the negroes; and already I saw that the latter had ceased rowing, and were standing up in the boat brandishing their long paddles. In their belts I fancied I detected knives. As Ned had prophesied, the bulky form occupying the stern-sheets was that of the negress we had formerly seen at the shanty, so there was little doubt as to the identity of the two oarsmen.

As the shore shelved rapidly, we very soon got out of our depth, and began to swim vigorously in the direction of the boat. The latter had not yet lost her way, and was gliding slowly toward us. I think, too, that the tide must have been ebbing, for it appeared to me that we cleft the waters at a great pace.

The negroes looked very determined as we approached, and I now saw that one of them had a pistol in one hand and his paddle in the other.

A volley from the shore was now fired at us by the enemy. Some bullets whistled over our heads and splashed into the water ahead of us, one or two of them very nearly striking the boat.