Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
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In A Few Minutes From The Time Boy
Had Left The Vessel, The Mate, Mr. Spittle, Was Sent Off In A Canoe,
So Terrified Were The Brass People That A Man Of War Would Come, And
Put Lake's Threats Into Execution.
At ten in the morning the vessel was got under way, and they dropped
down the river.
At noon the breeze died away, and they were obliged
to let go an anchor to prevent their drifting on the western
breakers, at the mouth of the river. A few minutes more would have
been fatal to them, and the vessel was fortunately stopped, although
the depth of water where she lay, was only five fathoms. The rollers,
as the large high waves are called, which come into the river over
the bar, were so high, that they sometimes passed nearly over the bow
of the vessel, and caused her to ride very uneasily by her anchor.
They had been obliged to anchor immediately abreast of the Pilot's
town, and expected every moment that they should be fired at from the
battery. Time was of the greatest importance to them; they had made
Boy their enemy, and expected before they could get out of the river,
he would summon his people and make an attack upon them, whilst their
whole party amounted only to twenty men, two thirds of whom were
Africans. The pilot also, whom Lake had offended so much, was known
to be a bold and treacherous ruffian. He was the same person, who
steered the brig Susan among the breakers, by which that vessel
narrowly escaped destruction, with the loss of her windlass, and an
anchor and cable.
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