The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1889-07-17

leopard skin abont his waist, and
stopped in front Of me-
He began to jabber out a mixture
Of bad English and native African,
and, more from his gestures than
from his speech, cemprehended
what he said he declared that the
Portuguese intended to sell them
/ into slavery, and affirmed that he
had seen Torres lurking behind on
the Previons day to talk to an Arab
that had come out of the forest.
He told me his name was Zuba,
! that be was head man in his tribe,
and that he had picked up his Eng
lish at Zanzibar, where he had been
ON several occasions. He knew that
i was English, and that the English
Ihated the Arabs, SO he hoped that 1
:wei.ld protect his friends from the
Portuf uese and the slave hunters.
z es ssval:tliy face flushed dark
er as zuba poured out his appeal.
esThe hound les he exclaimed,
angrily. aWhen they take tho ivory
to the coast they will be paid and
sent back home"
aBut see hero, Torres" 1 inter
rupted, for / was beginning TO get
an inxling of the state of the case.
"You know well that these natives
are not safe within 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 cer-
tainly ignorant of their real peril
The Portuguese grew confused,
land tried to stammer out some ex-
PLANTATION, but / made up my mind
at once that it was a clear case OF
treachery.
1t was an extremely perilous sit
uation all round, and that called for
prompt action. I at once ordered
the arrest of the two Portuguese,
and before they could think of re-
sistance, my marines had disarmed
them and pinoned their limbs.
Tho delighted negroes crowded
round US with cries of gratitude,
but / soon convinced them that
their danger was by no means over.
l could not liberate and let them go,
for the bands of slave hunters that
roamedi the country would soon
have seized them, SO my only course
was to take them on board the gun
boat and let the authorities of the
Raeersdeeide their fate. I now had
nosdoubt at all that Torres and Cas-
tello 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 sullenly between two
marines
noticed that they turned their
heads aside from time to time in a
strange manner, 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 Arabsi" he gaspcd,
and his face showed the deadly
terror he felt.
He tried to talk, but could only
utter inarticulate sounds and point
with his trembling hands.
The negroes, with a wall of ter
ror, dashed down their ivory and
prepared to fee.
"shoot the first man that runs
1 cried. "Now into the bushes,
quick, all of you'll"
The jungle was heavy at this
point and in a moment our party
was hidden beneath its cover, and
none too soon, for we could already
hear voices in front.
Ny force was small, as I have
said, and / preferred, if possible, to
escape a conflict with the Arabs,
whose number was uncertain, and
gain the gunboat with my prison
ers. The negroes were unarmed,
with the exception of zuba, who
carried a great knife, SO | 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, pearing out
through the bushes, we saw for
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