ouple of hours passed away. They were anxious ones to Hemming--so they
were to Murray, and perhaps to Adair, though the men did not probably
trouble themselves much about the matter. A constant lookout, however,
was kept--up the river, lest the pirates should come on them unawares,
and down the river, in the hopes of seeing the surf diminishing on the
bar and the wind set more out of it. What could have become of Mr
Evans, Rogers, and their party, was also the constant subject of
conversation.

"Hurrah!" at last cried Murray, who had been looking out astern, "the
bar is getting quite smooth. See, there is scarcely any current passing
us, and the wind is setting almost out of the river."

"And here come the canoes in battle-array," cried Adair from forward.
"They will be down upon us before many minutes are over."

"Heave up the anchor, my lads," shouted Hemming; "let fall the topsails.
Run up the jib and fore-staysail. Set the foresail and mainsail."
These orders followed in rapid succession. The men did not require to
be told to be smart about the work. Round came the schooner's head.
Her sails filled, and, under complete command, she stood towards the
bar. A clear piece of water showed the only passage she could take with
safety. The slave-trader's fleet of canoes came on, but they were just
in time to be too late. The schooner stood on, and, well piloted,
dashed through the dangerous passage; the surf boiling up still on
either side, but not breaking on board her. In another minute she was
over it, and floating free in the open ocean.

The brig was at a considerable distance, in chase of a vessel in the
offing; but there was no sign of the other boat, or of the schooner,
which it was hoped she might have captured. Not knowing the sad fate of
Mr Evans and his party, Murray and Adair were eagerly on the lookout
for them. Occasionally they turned a glance astern to see what had
become of their pursuers; but the pirates seemed to have considered it
useless or too hazardous to attempt to cross the bar, and had given up
the chase.

"I say, Alick, what do you make out that dark object to be there?"
exclaimed Adair, pointing to the southward. One after the other
examined it through the glass.

"It's a whale or a ship's bottom," answered Murray, after a long
scrutiny. They reported what they had seen to Hemming.

"No whale is likely to have floated into these latitudes," he remarked;
"some vessel must h