The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-26

that I would protect his friends from the
Portuguese and the slave hunters.
Torres's swarthy face flushed darker as
Zuba poured out his appeal.
"The hound lies," he exclaimed,
angrily. "When they take the ivory to
the coast they will be paid and sent back
home" 81
"But see here, Torres" I interrupted,
for I was beginning to get an inkhng OF
the state of the case. ''fou know well
that these natives are not safe within q
hundred miles of the coast. 1t looks to
me as though you had deceived them,
whether you intended to sell them to'the
Arabs Or not. They are certainly lgno-
rant of their real peril"
The Portuguese grew confused, and
tried to stammer out some explanation,
but made up my mind at once that it
was clear case of treachery.
1t was an extremely perilous situation
all round, and one that called for prompt
action. at once ordered the arrest of the
two Portuguese, and before they could
think of resistance, my marines had dis
armed them and pinioned their limbs.
The delighted negroes crowded round
us with cries of gratitude, but I soon con-
vinced them that their danger was by no
means over. could not i5erate and let
them 90, for the bands of slave hunters
that roamed the country would soon have
seized them, so my only course was to
take them on board the gunboat and let
the authorities of the Racer decide their
fate. I now had no doubt at all that
Torres and CASTILLO had intended to sell
them into slavery, and felt highly elated
at my capture of these Portuguese slave
hunters.
At my command Zuba and his dusky
friends took UP their burdens of ivory,
and we started back along the rough
trail, Torres and CASTILLO marching sui
lenly between two marines.
I noticed that they turned their heads
aside from time to time in strange man
ner, and my suspicious were aroused.
Zuba was watchful and uneasy, and crept
along some distance ahead of the column
closely inspecting the jungle on all sides.
We had retraced half the distance back
when he hurried toward US, waving his
arm frantically, while the leopard skin
tapped about his loins.
"Arabs, heap Arabs" he gasped, and
his face showed the deadly terror he
felt.
He tried to talk, but could only utter
inarticulate sounds and point with bis
trembling hands.
The negroes, with a vail of terror,
dashed down their ivory and prepared to
flee.
"Shoot the first man that runs, I cried.
"Now into the bushes, quick, all of
you!"
The Jungle was heavy at this point and
in a moment our party was hidden be-
meath its cover, and none too soon, for
we could already hear voices in front.
My force was small, as I have said, and
I preferred, if possible, to escape a con-
tlict with the Arabs, whose number was
uncertain, and gain the gunboat with my
prisoners. The negroes were unarmed,
with the exception of Zuba, who carried
great knife, so I put them in the rear
of the marines and left the Portuguese in
Zuba's care.
We scarcely ventured to breathe, but
crouched down to the ground holding
our arms in readiness for an attack. The
dreaded sounds came nearer, and soon,
pcering out through the bushes, we saw
Formidable body of Arabs passing along
the path. Their leader was powerful
fellow with huge scar across his face,
and all of them bore guns, and had pis-
tolls stuck in their belts, while every man
carried bunch of chains that clanked
harshly as they hurried past.
The party was large one, comprising
forty or fifty men, and their presence here
made the guilt of the Portuguese plain as
day. They were fastening to an appointed
rendezvous.
Allwould probably have gone well, and
the negroes would have reached the gun
boat in safety, but as the rear guard of the
Arabs filed past, suddenly Torres gave a
loud shout. Before he could repeat it
Zuba felled him to the ground, but it was
too late; the mischief was already done.
The Arabs grouped together moment
in CONSERVATION, and as they hesitated,
one of my men, in his excitment, exposed
his body. His uniform betrayed our
character, and the Arabs, spurred on by
their fierce hatred of the English, poured
a random fire into the jungle.
One of the marines fell, and terrible
cries of agony rose from the poor blacks.
Then we gave them an answering volley,
and with deadly effect. But reckless of
danger, they closed up and swept down
upon us in dense mass.
Our fire raked down the foremost row,
but their onslaught was so fierce that we
fell back toward the river and gained the
shelter of heavy timber, where, from be-
hind trees, we picked off the reckless
Arabs that exposed themselves to our fire.
Encountered with helpless negroes, our
situation was desperate.
I concluded to retreat still nearer the
creek, for the firing must shortly bring as
sistance from the gunboat. The Portu-
guese were dragged resistingly along, and
soon we reached a comparatively open
space where already the forest began to
slope toward the water.
But the crafty Arabs had stolen a
march on US, for as we started to cross the
open, struggling fire was poured in on
us from all sides, and the poor negroes
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