The brig kept on for a few minutes longer in ominous silence, and
then banged away at us again. The shot roared above us, and made
our hearts to cease beating for full half a minute, when they began
again like trip-hammers to make up for lost time. Our hopes of escape
were, as on a previous occasion, in the coming night, which in that
latitude rapidly follows sunset.

`A small object like our boat is hard to hit at two miles' distance,'
said I, straining my oar and snapping it in two as I spoke.

This was a severe accident to us in this dilemma; but most

[figure description] Page 076.[end figure description]

fortunately the wind struck us at this very moment. Our sail was hoisted
in an instant, and as the breeze was of full five knot force we gave a
glad hurrah and bounded merrily before it. We still plied the three
oars, one of us being at the helm to steer. Night fell upon us swiftly
and we began to feel that if we could escape being hit for twenty minutes
more, we should be hidden by the darkness from their view.

But twenty minutes with a brig firing upon one is a long time. We
trusted through the haziness of twilight and the smallness of our boat
to escape the shot, Several more discharges of cannon from the brig
only gave new energy to our efforts, and as none of the shot came very
near us, we began to be indifferent to the firing, and cracked more than
one joke upon the bad powder and unskillful gunnery of the Brazilians.
At length the brig was hidden from us by the increasing night, and of
course we were invisible to her. We therefore resolved to outwit her
as we had done the other vessel two days before, by tacking and
doubling on our course. We, therefore, put about and run towards
Colonia, supposing the brig, if she was after us, would stand on as we
had last seen her steering. We run along landward on our larboard
tack for about half an hour, and were just about preparing to go about
to cross the river, supposing we had eluded the brig, when suddenly
she appeared down directly towards us. At first we could scarcely believe
our eyes, she came upon us out of the darkness so unexpectedly.
But there she was, covered with canvass from deck to truck, and not
two cables' length from us.

We were taken by surprise, but not disconcerted. The mast was
struck instantly, and in the impulse of the moment, I cried,

`Overboard and hang on to the sides!'

To escape was impossible. She would inevitably pass within forty
feet of us. To escape being discovered seemed impossible. In an
instant we were in the water and concealed by the starboard side of
the skiff from the brig's deck. We were immersed up to our chins,
and supporting ourselves by the gunwale of the boat. We could not
see the brig as she came on, except by tipping down the boat, so we
knew we could not be seen; and it the boat was discovered we hoped
they would pass it as a drift-boat, and not take the trouble to heave to
for it. This was the only chance of escape.

We had not been thirty seconds in the water, when the brig came
so near that we had to look almost over our heads to see her royals.—
Nearer and nearer she came, moving at about six or seven knots, and
she was within sixty feet of us. For a moment we apprehended that
she would pass directly over us, and had spoken to warn each other to
dive deep if she should. She came on and surged by within seven
fathoms of us, the bow swell of our advance lifting us and our skiff
upon its roll. We could count distinctly her ports as she passed by
and hear the men talking between decks distinctly enough to understand
that the language was Portuguese. She passed us, and the stern
light burning in her cabin window flashed upon our eyes. At the
same instant, just as we were about to congratulate ourselves upon our
escape, we saw an officer spring upon the taffrail and the next moment
call out in Portuguese,

[figure description] Page 077.[end figure description]

`A boat adrift! See what it is!'

`It is neither of the brig's boats,' we heard answered by some one
in the gang way.

`Whatever it is, heave the brig to and let down a cutter and send
for it!' said the first speaker.

We thought our time had now come without remedy. But in danger
one's wits are always active. Presence of mind and invention are
given us by Providence as weapons in dangers, as the quills are bestowed
upon the `fretful porcupine.' In danger, men's energies and coolness
always rises to a level with his peril. As the imminency increases,
so does firmness and wits meet it and master it.

We saw that it would take them at least five minutes to bring the
brig to and get down and man a boat. The brig, in the meantime,
would be forging to leeward, while our own little craft would be stationary.

`By the time a boat can reach us,' was our rapid decision as we
spoke with each other, `the brig will be full half a mile to leeward.—
Let us get in,' said we unanimously, `up sail and stick her nose right
into the wind's eye!'

No sooner said than done. In an instant, dripping like fish, we had
clambered again into the skiff, and the mast was at once raised, the
main sheet drawn aft, and the bows of the skiff stuck `right into the
eye of the wind.'

The brig was by this time far to leeward. She had laid her maintop-sail
aback, and we could hear the creaking of blocks as she lowered
down her cutter. But every instant of time thus occupied by them
we were widening our distance from the brig, while the latter was of
necessity drifting to leeward. We could lay a point and a half closer
to the wind than a large vessel, and in the superior ability of our little
bark, we hoped to get away from them. We trimmed our boat with
the nicest precaution and fairly eat into the wind right away from the
brig. One had the helm, another kept a sharp look-out for the flash
to tell us when to dodge, while the other two rowed to help along her
sail. In five minutes after we had got under progress, the brig was
scarcely visible to leeward. By laying our ears down close to the water,
we could distinctly hear the noise of the oars of the pursuing boat,
rattling in the row-locks. But as they were invisible to us, we knew
we were equally so to them. Steadily we worked our way to windward.
Gradually the brig faded from sight, and the sounds of the distant
oars of the cutter grew fainter, until they were no longer to be
heard.

We did not, however, speak to begin to congratulate ourselves.—
We had not yet fairly insured our safety, and we chose to be sure of
it, ere we gave free vent to our joy. At length hearing no more of
the enemy, we were partly well convinced of our security, and began
to express to one another our glad emotions. We had not before come
so near capture. It was now proposed to bear away and steer directly
across to Buenos Ayres, which was thirty miles distant. We hoped
to reach it by at least three o'clock in the morning, it being now about
ten.

[figure description] Page 078.[end figure description]

The helm was accordingly put up, the sheet eased off, and the bows
of the skiff set direct for Buenos Ayres, the bearings of which we
took by compass, which we were enabled to examine by means of a
dark lantern we had brought with us. The shores of Colonia gradually
faded from view, and nothing but night and its stars with the wave-tossed
water was about us. Merrily we danced on, and although we
were so thoroughly wet by our bath, we were in great spirits, and sang
in full chorus the Canadian boat-song. As singing made us dry (I do
not mean outside) we opened the locker and cracked a bottle of champagne.
We had but one more remaining, which we resolved to open
only when we should come in sight of Buenos Ayres.

The excitement of our recent escape, our wet clothes, in which, if
we slept we feared we should take cold, and the prospect of shortly
seeing Buenos Ayres, kept us from sleep. There was no `watch below.
' We sat together talking over the past, and discussing the future.
What we were to do when we reached Buenos Ayres, neither of us
were very decided. Fairfax and Bedrick thought of trying to get a
clerkship, and if unable to join Brown's squadron. Radsworth and I
thought of Llavelleja and his brave army, and looked to distinction and
fame under his banner; our purpose being to join some party going to
reinforce him and offer to him our services. But in the main we were
to be governed most by circumstances. We resolved to do whatever
fortune had for us to perform.

The little skiff danced merrily over the white capped waves. As
we talked over our affairs, and about two in the morning, while we
were about preparing to look out ahead for the Buenos Ayrean shore,
Bedrick suddenly cried out,

`Land ho!'

We looked eagerly forward, and saw the dark mass of the Southern
shore just perceptible in the darkness. We were rejoiced beyond
measure and shouted a welcome. We knew that we were now safe;
that we were now beyond the reach of Portuguese cruisers and under
the protection of the Patriot flag.

We now eagerly watched the shore towards which our bark was
bounding, anxious to make out the outlines of the city, its towers,
domes and fortification. We stood in until we could discover that
there was a forest before us, instead of a city; and in vain our eyes
sought through the gloom of night for the signs of human habitation.

We ran in within a quarter of a mile of the shore, and then coming
to, gazed with blank surprise upon the dark forest which stretched
along the bank.

`This is odd,' said I. `We have missed the city and fallen upon
the land either above or below it.'

`Below it, most likely,' said Fairfax in a disappointed tone; `the
current has drifted us below it.'

`We ought to have calculated for that,' said Radsworth.

`We steered straight for the city by compass,' I remarked, `and
supposed of course we should fetch it. But not making allowance for
the lee-way of the river's current, we have struck the land I dare say
a dozen miles below the city.'

[figure description] Page 079.[end figure description]

`I should n't be surprised if we had,' was the general response.

`We shall know where we are by daylight,' said Bedrick. `So, fellows,
suppose we down the sail, anchor, and all hands go to sleep till
morning.'

We anchored and unshipped the mast, and Bedrick and Fairfax went
to sleep; but I was too watchful and also too anxious to get the first
sight of the shore by dawn to lay down. So Radsworth and I chatted
and watched for the day. At length it began to dawn, and slowly as
the darkness receded, the outline and aspect of the shore were apparent.
We now awoke our friends and began to survey our position as
the morning slowly threw light upon it. The shore was one unbroken
forest for miles up and down the river, save an inlet very narrow which
penetrated it just before us. When the sun rose, we could see that
this inlet wound into the land through the forest. We resolved to explore
it. So raising the keeleg we took our oars and rowed shoreward
and entered the mouth of the inlet. It was deep and canal-like in its
appearance, and very serpentine. We cocked our pistols and laying
them by our sides, pulled steadily on for five or six minutes, when, suddenly
in turning a bend, we came in sight of the masts of two brigs
and three schooners appearing over the top of the trees not a quarter
of a mile distant. We stopped rowing at once and gazed upon this
sight with doubts and misgivings. Not knowing where we were, we
were not sure they were not Brazilian vessels. We examined their
yards and rig, and at length Fairfax roundly swore that one of the
brigs was a Yankee.

The vessels seemed to be lying in another bend of the creek; and
what they could be doing up there looked to us at the least, very suspicious.
But as we could get no information by talking, we resolved
to row carefully on until we came in sight of them, when we should
be able to judge by their appearance of their country; and besides we
expected to be able to see the colors, which probably flying from the
peak could not be seen by us where we were. So we pulled on, but
with the wariness of a party about to surprise an enemy.