s submitting to my
uncertain fate with far greater philosophy than wisdom; but this was by
no means the case. The fact was that I had no sooner awakened to the
consciousness that I was a prisoner in the hands of African savages than
I made up my mind that I could not too soon effect my escape from them;
for although I have just spoken of my fate as uncertain I felt that, in
reality, there was very little uncertainty about it. It was so rarely
that a white man fell into the hands of the negro savages that when one
had the misfortune to do so they generally made the utmost of him. And
that "utmost" was usually something in which prolonged and agonising
torture figured largely. But it would obviously be worse than useless
to attempt to escape until an opportunity occurred of at least a fair
prospect of success; for to attempt and _fail_ meant the extinguishment
at once of all further hope. And, up to the present, I had not had a
ghost of an opportunity. My captors had taken good care of that,
although they had been kind enough to leave me unbound. But now, when
all hands must be feeling the effect of fatigue after several hours of
strenuous labour at the paddles, and were likely to sleep soundly, it
was possible that, by biding my time, I might be able to steal off to
the canoe and cut the bonds of the captives who had been so callously
left in it, when it would be strange indeed if, out of gratitude for my
release of them, they were not willing to help me to make my way back to
the mouth of the river, where I should of course have to take my chance
of finding a ship the master of which would be willing to receive me on
board. It was not, perhaps, a very brilliant prospect, but I felt that
it was at least preferable to that to which I might look forward if I
remained in the company of my present owners; and accordingly when my
sable companions disposed themselves to sleep, I apparently did the
same, but summoned all my energies to aid me in the task of resisting
the tendency toward somnolence that I felt stealing over me.

But this was not nearly so easy as I had believed it would be. If I
closed my eyes for a few seconds a delicious languor seized me, my
thoughts began to wander, and it was only by an almost painful effort
that I succeeded in, as it were, jerking myself back to full
consciousness. My intention was to remain awake until all my companions
had become wrapped in slumber, and then effect my escape fro