y the skipper's party. The invalids
were all doing excellently, thanks, no doubt, in a great measure, to the
fine, airy room in which they had been bestowed; some, indeed, were so
far advanced toward recovery that Murdoch had given three or four of
them permission to leave their beds and go into the open air for an hour
or two, and these were now assisting each other to dress. I completed
my rounds, both of this building and also of that in which the wounded
prisoners were lodged, and was just leaving the latter when I caught
sight of one of the convalescents hurrying toward me at a great rate, in
the full glare of the sunshine, in direct defiance of the medico's
standing order that none of them were on any account to leave the shadow
of the verandah. But this man had a very excellent excuse for his
breach of the rules, for the moment that he saw me he first took off his
hat and waved it to attract my attention, and then flourished it in the
direction of the look-out tree, glancing toward which I caught sight of
the fluttering fragment of scarlet bunting which was the prearranged
signal that a slaver had entered the lagoon and was approaching the
factory! A moment later the look-out himself, having descended the
tree, came hurrying along to make his report.

"Well, Edwards," I exclaimed, as the man came bustling up to me, and
saluted, "I see you have made the signal that a slaver is approaching.
What sort of a craft is she; and how far off?"

"She's a very tidy and smart-looking brig, sir, measurin' close upon
three hundred ton, by the look of her; and she's headin' straight for
the eastern end of this here island, clewin' up and furlin' as she
comes. She was under topsails and to'ga'nts'ls when I shinned down out
of the crow's-nest, yonder; and I reckon she'll reach the anchorage in
about another twenty minutes or so," reported the man.

"Very good," I answered. "Now, go back to your look-out, and put that
piece of red bunting out of sight as quickly as possible; for if those
slaver fellows should happen to catch sight of it they may suspect
something and be on their guard; which won't do; for, with only a few
convalescents to help me, our sole chance of capturing them lies in the
use of stratagem."

Then, as the man turned away and hurried back to his post, I crossed the
open space between the wharf and the buildings, and, giving the
convalescents instructions to arm themselves at once and to stand by to
sho