ving at
length been secured, the party moved forward towards the west, keeping
the river in sight on their right hand. As evening approached, they
encamped at some distance from the bank. Fires were lighted, but no
food was cooked--for the best of all reasons, that the party were
destitute of provisions. Ned observed that armed sentries were placed
round the camp, but that was probably to prevent any of the slaves
escaping rather than on account of an expected attack.

He had some faint hope that Rhymer might have got back to the ship in
time to give information of what had happened, and that the boats might
be sent up to attempt his recapture. At length, overcome with fatigue,
he lay down between the two blacks who had him in charge, and in spite
of the disagreeable proximity of his guards, he was soon fast asleep;
his slumbers, however, were troubled, but he continued dozing on until
he was aroused by the Arabs summoning their followers to re-commence the
march. Water had been brought from the river, but they started without
food, and it was not till late in the day that, reaching a village, they
compelled the inhabitants to supply them by threatening to burn their
huts if they refused. Ultimately, crossing the river by a ford, they
proceeded for some distance towards the north.

Ned did not fail to be on the watch for an opportunity of escaping; he
thought that if he could hide himself away he might get down to the
coast, and have a chance of falling in with one of the boats. He was,
however, far too closely guarded, he discovered, for this to be
possible. He was still unable to conjecture for what object the Arabs
had carried him off. For three days they journeyed on, the whole party
suffering greatly from want of food, and sometimes from thirst, when
long stretches of barren ground were passed over without a drop of water
to be found. At last he discovered that they were directing their
course once more to the eastward, and in another day they came in sight
of the sea. There was a high cliff on the right hand, sheltering a deep
bay in which three dhows rode at anchor. On a signal being made the
dhows stood in towards the inner part of the bay, where a small creek
formed a harbour of sufficient size to contain them, so that they were
able to moor close to the shore. Several Arabs landed from each of
them. After the preliminary salaams had been gone through, business at
once commenced, which terminated