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30 the Spanish slaver, Leon. The 11dy, a sail was discoTcred . . It :a~orrib\e to tell, all the crew had samc Jiscaec had been there, ~n I other, the vessels parted. become blind! Unable to asst~t ca~en heard of. The Rodeur 'fhcSpanish ship has oeYer smcfeJ e· theonlymanwhohadcs· rc<'!ched Guadaloupc on the 21st o et;:u~blcd to steer the slaver into d the diseuse, and had thu!i be. , , I -(Bibliothe Opthal~ cape I 't . I three days after Jts arrna. port, cnug tt t tt b 1819) mologiquc,Jor Novtm er, . • ALL rea d Y 1• ' cried the cap.tda in ; ' A y A y .I ' the seamen sal - • Heav~ up the worthless lu~bers, The dyin" and the dead: from theoslave-ship's prtson UPF i.e rce, b ear d e d heads wer.e thrust- • Now let the sharks look to •t;,Toss up the dead ones first . Corpse after corpse came up,Death had been busy there. Where every blow is mercy' Why should the spoiler spare 1 Corpse after corpse th~y cast Sullenly from the ship' yet bloody with the trac_es Of fetter-link and wh•P· Gloomily stood the captain, With his arms upon his breast, With his cold brow sternly ~notted, And his iron hp compress d. 31 'Are all the dead dogs over ! • Growl'd through that matted lip- • The blind ones are no better Let's lighten the gQod ship 1!' Hark! from the ship's dark bosom, The very sounds of hell ! The ringing clank of iron- The maniac's short, sharp yell ! The hoarse, low curse, throat·stitledThe starving infant's moan- The horror of a breaking heart Pour'd through a mother's groan! Up from that loathsome prison The stricken blind ones cameBelow, had all been darknessAbove, was still the same. Yet the holy breath of Heaven Was sweetly breathing there, And the heated brow of fever Cool'd in the soft sea-air. • Overboard with them, shipmates ! ' Cutlass and dirk were plied; Fetter'd and blind, one after one, Plunged down the vessel's side. The sabre smole aboveBeneath, the lean shark lay, Waiting with wide and bloody jaw His quick and human prey. |
