sooner fight
than sweep in such a latitude; and, with three cheers, came aft to
request that I would remain quietly where I was until the Northman
overhauled us.

We made so little headway with oars that I thought the difference
trifling, whether we pulled or were becalmed. Perhaps, it might be
better to keep the hands fresh, if a conflict proved inevitable. I
passed quickly among the men, with separate inquiries as to their
readiness for battle, and found all--from the boy to the
mate--anxious, at every hazard, to do their duty. Our breakfast was as
cold as could be served in such a climate, but I made it palatable
with a case of claret.

When a sail on the coast of Africa heaves in sight of _a slaver_, it
is always best for the imperilled craft, especially if gifted with
swift hull and spreading wings, to take flight without the courtesies
that are usual in mercantile sea-life. At the present day, fighting
is, of course, out of the question, and the valuable prize is
abandoned by its valueless owners. At all times, however,--and as a
guard against every risk, whether the cue be to fight or fly,--the
prudent slaver, as soon as he finds himself in the neighborhood of
unwholesome canvas, puts out his fire, nails his forecastle, sends his
negroes below, and secures the gratings over his hatches.

All these preparations were quietly made on board the Esperanza; and,
in addition, I ordered a supply of small arms and ammunition on deck,
where they were instantly covered with blankets. Every man was next
stationed at his post, or where he might be most serviceable. The
cannons were sponged and loaded with care; and, as I desired to
deceive our new acquaintance, I ran up the Portuguese flag. The calm
still continued as the day advanced;--indeed, I could not perceive a
breath of air by our dog-vane, which veered from side to side as the
schooner rolled slowly on the lazy swell. The stranger did not
approach, nor did we advance. There we hung--

"A painted ship upon a painted ocean!"

I cannot describe the fretful anxiety which vexes a mind under such
circumstances. Slaves below; a blazing sun above; the boiling sea
beneath; a withering air around; decks piled with materials of death;
escape unlikely; a phantom in chase behind; the ocean like an
unreachable eternity before; uncertainty every where; and, within your
skull, a feverish mind, harassed by doubt and responsibility, yet
almost craving for any act of desperat