very near us, we were ready at hand to join in any enterprise, or to aid and assist one another. However, we did not think ourselves safe, and, therefore, we took care not to let deaan Crindo know our resolution, till we had made one expedition; and after that, we made ourselves more secure.

But the course of my narrative naturally leads me to a detail of deaan Murnanzack's attack on deaan Mundumber's town, where he took three hundred cattle, and a great number of women and children; for it is not customary to take men prisoners, if they cannot get away from their enemies, they are immediately cut off. Among the captives were deaan Mundumber's wife and daughter, the only child he ever had. Having plundered the town, they were going to reduce it to ashes, but deaan Murnanzack prevented them; and marching into the plain, waited to see if deaan Mundumber would rally, and give him battle. His people appeared, indeed, but at a great distance, not daring to come nearer; which, as soon as he perceived, he marched homewards, but first did a very generous action, and sent back deaan Mundumber's wife and daughter to him; telling her, he did not intend it as a compliment to her husband, but as a token of his respect to herself and family: she being niece to the king of Yong-Owl, one of the most powerful princes on the island. Nor did he do it with any view that he should return the like favour, for he had no wife, and was well assured by God's assistance, who would favour his just cause, that it would never be in his power to prove prejudicial to any of his relations.

As soon as deaan Crindo heard that his son's town was taken, he thought it high time to seek revenge; and accordingly mustered up a great army, threatening to lay the country waste, to destroy all the men, and make slaves of their wives and children. He sent, likewise, to our master to join him, but he peremptorily refused; saying, he would never join with his professed enemies against his experienced friends. However, he did not declare his intentions of opposing him.

They both sent to deaan Mephontey, but he refused to be concerned on either side, and kept his word; for his dominions extending to the river Manderra, the boundaries of Antenosa, he was apprehensive that the inhabitants of those parts might take the advantage of his absence, plunder his towns, and lay waste his country.

When deaan Crindo marched from Fennoarevo, he did not wholly abandon his towns, but left a considerable number of men in them, for fear of Rer Mimebolambo and Afferrer. He had no jealousy of us, however; whilst he was gone Rer Mimebolambo and my master deaan Mevarrow joined forces, and went out to see what they could find; they soon surprised three towns, for the men made a very weak resistance; so they brought off about two hundred cattle, and fifty slaves. My master was discovered by having a white man (ineaning myself) along with him. This was altogether unexpected to them, and deaan Crindo's wife immediately sent him notice thereof, and that she was in no small concern on that account. To which information he returned for answer, that he would soon despatch the business he was about, and then he would be amply revenged of deaan Mevarrow. But we took care to be provided for him.

In our way homewards, the cattle and slaves were equally divided between deaan Mevarrow and Rer Mimebolambo; and they then came to this resolution, that it was absolutely necessary for them to live together in one town. Ours was the strongest, but not so big as we could wish; theirs was of a larger extent, and they had, moreover, abundance of empty houses, which were deserted by those who went away upon the war's breaking out; so it was agreed we should settle there. We lost no time, for the very day we went home we packed up all our goods, and marched away directly to Merhaundroverta,, which was the name of Rer Mimebolambo's town, and abandoned our own in less than a fortnight after we had built it. Thus were we driven about like our wild boars that change their holes every day, and fly from one wood to another, lect

the wild dogs should find them out. And we we.e not only forced to secure ourselves against the surprises of a body of our enemies, but as we lived so near one another, three or four, or half a dozen of their men would often lie lurking in the woods near towns, and catch a woman, child, or slave of ours, that happened to stroll out on any occasion whatever, as digging of wild yams, &c., so that we had little else to eat but beef; and such as had it of their own gave it to those who had none.

However, I had an employment here which maintained me handsomely enough, and it seemed as if Providence had thought fit to appoint it, on purpose for my support in this seasonable conjuncture. Few of this part of the island will eat any beef unless it is killed by one descended from a race of kings; now my master, just before the war broke out, growing haughty to excess, and having none but himself and his brother to execute these high offices, they were sometimes obliged to go five or six miles to kill an ox. He at last reflected that these people have an exalted opinion of all white men, and taking me for the captain's son, whom they looked upon to be no ways inferior to a king, I was thought of honourable descent enough to be preferred to the dignity of a butcher; though in fact I did nothing more than cut the throat of the beast, and they carved him up themselves: however, for this, I always had my fee, which was a large piece of meat. Though my master and some others, as discerning as myself, plainly perceived that this was a very idle custom; yet he knew that the vulgar are not to be opposed in their old ways, be they ever so ridiculous and absurd; and had deaan Mevarrow obstinately declined this office, and called it a mere caprice of theirs, so abrupt an innovation would, in all probability, have been attended with an almost general desertion, for they would instantly have gone and lived under other lords. He contrived, therefore, to substitute me in his room, and by that means did, (as all wise governors will,) seemingly conform to custom to humour the people; yet by an

ingenious expedient shifted off from himself a mean and troublesome employment.

The next morning the cattle were divided; my master had ten, his brother six, and the principal men one a piece some others had one between two, and we slaves one between four of us. For my part I wanted no beef; for I was often employed, during my residence in this town, to kill the beasts. I was obliged, however, to agree with my partners to kill ours, for they had little enough, though I had plenty. I lived tolerably well here, often exchanging beef for potatoes, &c., with the towns-people; and here we heard of the havoc deaan Crindo had made in the country. The people who were allied to deaan Murnanzack, and dwelt in small towns, left their habitations and removed with their families and cattle beyond deaan Murnanzack's toward the sea, where they were sheltered under his protection. When deaan Crindo came to such towns as were abandoned, he burnt them down, and utterly destroyed the plantations, pulling up every thing by the roots, as if his intention were to create a famine in the country.

Deaan Murnanzack was all this time with his brother Mussecorrow, on his march towards them, and had such good intelligence, that, under the cover of a wood, he came undiscovered almost upon them. They were then ravaging a very large plantation of potatoes, and some others not far distant from it. He divided his army into four parts, resolving to attack them on all sides, whilst they were thus mischievously bent; and boldly showed his face in front, whom they hurried to oppose; the other parties fired each from their post, killed several, and put the rest into confusion. However, they made a vigorous resistance, retreating and forcing their way into a wood, where it was almost impossible to follow them. Here deaan Crindo rallied them, and disposed them in good order, each either under his own, or one of his son's command; for Mundumber, Chahary, and Frukey, his three sons, were with him. They were much superior in number to the

other; some said, nearly twice as many; which deaan Murnanzack was no stranger to, nor to the courage of his uncle; but he was resolute notwithstanding to engage him and though he had time sufficient to have retreated, yet he only marched back into the plain, to secure an advantageous ground, and have time to form his army; which he did accordingly, and waited for his enemy's approach to attack him. It was not long before the engagement began, which was carried on with great vigour and warmth on both sides; till deaan Murnanzack perceiving his brother Mussecorrow's division began to give ground, he was determined to make a bold push himself; and throwing away his gun, with six small lances in his hand, he challenged several of his principal men to follow him, if they durst, into the thickest of the enemy's body, which they very gallantly did. But he, being foremost, ran like an enraged lion, and in spite of all their fire and flying lances, came to close quarters, hand to hand with his lances; and those gallant men with him, following his example, drove all that division of their enemy's army back, and put it into utter confusion, who not being able to abide their fury, ran away. They broke into the very part where deaan Crindo himself was posted, who would have been struck through with a lance by one of Murnanzack's companions, had not the deaan himself very generously prevented it, desiring them not to kill his uncle. He left his people to pursue them, whilst he ran to the aid and assistance of Mussecorrow, who, at the same time made a vigorous push, being ashamed to be outdone; however, they would have been utterly ruined, had not deaan Murnanzack himself stept in to their assistance in that critical conjuncture. But they were soon in one general disorder, flying towards the woods with the utmost precipitation, where deaan Murnanzack followed them to prevent them from rallying, and carried on the pursuit till he saw they were quite dispirited, and making homewards to recruit themselves.

Deaan Crindo perceiving he could do no good with Murnanzack, was determined not to be idle, and per