Night was now coming on; the privateer had got under weigh, and was standing off-and-on, with a flag of truce flying at her mast-head.  The treacherous Indian with whom I had first conversed came, and with a malignant smile, gave me the dreadful intelligence that, at twelve o’clock that night, we were to be roasted and eaten.

Accordingly, at sunset, I was unloosed and conducted, by a band of about half a dozen savages, to the spot, where I found the remainder of our men firmly secured, by having their hands tied behind them, their legs lashed together, and each man fastened to a stake that had been driven into the ground for that purpose.  There was no possibility to elude the vigilance of these miscreants.  As soon as night shut in, a large quantity of brushwood was piled around us, and nothing now was wanting but the fire to complete this horrible tragedy.  Then the same malicious savage approached us once more, and, with the deepest malignity, taunted us with our coming fate.  Having some knowledge of the Indian character, I summoned up all the fortitude of which I was capable, and, in terms of defiance, told him, that twenty Indians would be sacrificed for each one of us sacrificed by him.  I knew very well that it would not do to exhibit any signs of fear or cowardice; and, having heard much of the cupidity of the Indian character, I offered the savage a large ransom if he would use his influence to procure our release.  Here the conversation was abruptly broken off by a most hideous yell from the whole tribe, occasioned by their having taken large draughts of the rum, which now began to operate very sensibly upon them; and, as it will be seen, operated very much to our advantage.  This thirst for rum caused them to relax their vigilance, and we were left alone to pursue our reflections, which were not of the most enviable or pleasant character.  A thousand melancholy thoughts rushed over my mind.  Here I was, and, in all probability, in a few hours I should be in eternity, and my death one of the most horrible description.  “Oh!” thought I, “how many were the entreaties and arguments used by my friends to deter me from pursuing an avocation so full of hazard and peril!  If I had taken their advice, and acceded to their solicitations, in all probability I should, at this time, have been in the enjoyment of much happiness.”  I was aroused from this reverie by the most direful screams from the united voices of the whole tribe, they having drunk largely of the rum, and become so much intoxicated that a general fight ensued.  Many of them lay stretched on the ground, with tomahawks deeply implanted in their skulls:  and many others, as the common phrase is, were “dead drunk.”  This was an exceedingly fortunate circumstance for us.  With their senses benumbed, of course they had forgotten their avowal to roast us, or, it may be, the Indian to whom I proposed ransom had conferred with the others, and they, no doubt, agreed to spare our lives until