got
too far from the ship to turn back. Only don't let me see you doing it,
that's all."

"Dat all right, sar," answered the black, with a sigh of extreme
content. "If you no look for dem Cupid you no see um." And he turned
and ostentatiously walked away forward.

The boats having been gently and carefully lowered into the water
without a splash, or so much as a single tell-tale squeak from the
tackle-blocks--the pins and bushes of which were habitually overhauled
at frequent intervals and kept well lubricated with a mixture of melted
tallow and plumbago--the crews took their places, each man carefully
depositing his drawn cutlass on the bottom-boards between his feet, and
we shoved off with muffled oars, the three boats pulling abreast, with
about a ship's length between each; so that if perchance we should
happen to be seen, we should present as small a target as possible to
aim at.

We pulled slowly and with the utmost caution, for the twofold reason
that we had not yet caught sight of our quarry and only knew in a
general sort of way that she was somewhere to seaward of us, and because
we were anxious to avoid premature discovery from the splash of our
oars. It was of course perfectly right and proper that we should
observe all the precautions that I have indicated; for if we could but
contrive to creep up alongside the stranger without being detected, it
would undoubtedly mean the prevention of much loss of life. But,
personally, I had very little hope of our being able to do so; for the
night was so breathlessly still that, if any sort of look-out at all
were being kept aboard the stranger--and slavers usually slept with one
eye open--they must surely have caught some hint of our proximity,
careful as we had been to maintain as complete silence as possible while
making our preparations. Besides, as ill-luck would have it, the water
was in an unusually brilliant phosphorescent condition just then, the
slightest disturbance of it caused a silvery glow that could be seen a
mile away; and, be as silent as we might, the dip of our oars and the
passage of the boats through the water set up such a blaze as could not
fail to betray us, should a man happen to glance in our direction.

At length, when we had pulled about half a mile, as nearly as I could
judge, I detected a slight suspicion of a softening in the velvety
blackness of the sky in the eastern quarter. It brightened, even as I
looked, and a solitary