Page:The American Slave Trade (Spears).djvu/91

 for their share in the onslaught. This reward was collected, of course, in the shape of a liberal price for each captured Old Town man, with free drinks added, although of the drinks they were naturally a little shy under the circumstances. But at the side of the Duke of York, one other reward was wanted — the head of their chief enemy among the captured Old Town people — the head of Amboe Robin John, But knowing that the captain of the Duke of York cared nothing for their thirst for blood — knowing that he had joined in the raid solely for the profit there was in it — the chief of New Town, who was known as Willy Honesty, said:

"Captain, if you will give me that man, to cut his head off, I will give you the best man in my canoe, and you shall be slaved first. ship."

At that Amboe, who could speak English, bowed his head and, putting his hands together in the attitude of prayer, begged the captain of the ship to retain him on board. But the captain forced him, his guest under a solemn promise of protection, over the rail, where his head was struck off, and his body thrown to the sharks.

As a result of their treachery and murder, the slaver captains received from twenty-five to thirty slaves each, of whom a third, perhaps, were captured in the water, and had to be purchased of the New Town people.

The two brothers of Amboe Robin John were sold in the West Indies, but managed to escape to Virginia, and thence to Bristol, "where the captain who had brought them, fearing he had done wrong, meditated carrying them back." But before he could sail with