t, with nice steering, would
just enable us to fetch the river's mouth handsomely without breaking
tacks. The schooner, meanwhile, was romping along at a pace of at least
twelve knots per hour, on the starboard tack, throwing the spray over
her weather bow to half the height of her lower yard, and shaping a
course which would enable her to pass us at a distance of fully eight
miles dead to windward. We allowed her to go on her way unmolested.

It was just noon when, having arrived off the mouth of the river, we
made a flying moor of it, letting go the first and then the second bower
anchor in ten fathoms, at a distance of about one and a half miles from
the shore, and at a spot from which the river mouth and perhaps half a
mile of the river itself were in plain view. The town of King Olomba,
it was understood, was situated at a distance of about thirty-two miles
from our anchorage; and as the captain was anxious that the journey
should be made at an easy pace, so that the men might arrive
comparatively fresh, and in fit condition for the rather stiff bit of
work that lay at the end of it, eight hours were to be allowed for the
passage of the boats to their destination. And as it was highly
undesirable that the expedition should be unduly exposed in the boats to
the pestiferous effects of the miasmatic night-fogs which gather upon
most of the West African rivers after sunset, it had already been
arranged that the attacking party should not start until the following
morning, at an hour which would enable us to reach the scene of
operations in time to make a reconnaissance and arrange the plan of
attack by nightfall. The remainder of that day was therefore employed
in getting the boats ready, stocking them with three days' rations of
provisions and water, overhauling the boat guns and slinging them ready
for lowering, filling the ammunition boxes, sharpening cutlasses, fixing
new flints to the pistols, where necessary, and generally completing our
preparations. We also sent down royal and topgallant yards and housed
the topgallant-masts, in order that, should it by any chance come on to
blow heavily from the westward during our absence the ship might ride
the more easily at her anchors. We also made preparation, in view of
the foregoing contingency, for backing the bowers with the two stream
anchors, and otherwise made every possible preparation for the safety of
the ship during our absence; for the expedition in whi