"but now tell me what you mean
to do?"

"To do? Jest this; put your vessel just where she can lie low and send
three or four boats to steal aboard the schooner and take her. Yew can
do that easy, can't yew, without firing a shot?"

"Certainly," said the lieutenant; "and what about you?"

"Me? Get outer the way as fast as I can, I tell yew. I'm not a
fighting man, and I've got to think of what might happen if you let the
slaver slip. See?"

"Yes, I see," said the lieutenant; "but you need not be alarmed for
yourself. Captain Kingsberry will take care that no harm shall befall
you."

"Think so, mister?"

"I am sure so, my friend. But now tell me this; how soon do you think
that you can lay us abreast of that schooner?"

"Jest when you like now, mister. What I've set down as being best is,
say, about daybreak."

"Exactly; that will do."

"Jest what I said to myself. Daybreak's the time when everybody aboard
will be fast asleep, for they don't carry on there like yew do aboard a
man-o'-war with your keeping watch and that sort of thing."

"Of course not," said the officer. "Well, then, I may go and tell the
captain what _you_ say?"

"That's jest as yew like, mister. I should if it was me."

"Exactly. And you feel sure that you can keep your word?"

"Wish I was as sure of getting hold of that there piece o' territory,
mister, and the nigger chief cleared away."

"Then you don't feel quite sure?" put in Murray.

"Course I don't, young officer. There's many a pick at a worm as turns
out a miss, ain't there? How do I know that my Portygee neighbour
mayn't slip off through your boats making too much of a row instead of
creeping up quiet? You mean right, all of you, but I shan't feel sure
till you've made a prisoner of that chap and scattered the nigger chief
and his men where they'll be afraid to come back. Now then; you said
something about talking too much. I'm going to shut up shop now and
give my tongue a holiday till I've laid you where you can send your
boats to do their work. But I say, just one word more, mister," said
the man anxiously; and the lieutenant felt his hand tremble as he laid
it upon his arm; "yew will be careful, won't yew?"

"Trust us," replied the lieutenant.

"That's what I'm a-doing; but jest you think. It puts me in mind of the
boys and the frogs in your English moral story--what may be fun to yew
may be death to me. Tell your skipper that he must take all the