here," observed the skipper with his eye still
peering through the tube of his telescope. "You may depend on it, Mr
Smellie, the rascals have got wind of our presence in the river, and
intend trying to slip out past us to-night as soon as the fog settles
down. I'll be bound they know every inch of the river, and could find
their way out blindfold?"

"No doubt of it, sir," answered the second luff. "But it is not high-
water until two o'clock to-morrow morning, so that I suspect they will
not endeavour to make a move until about an hour after midnight. That
will enable them to go out on the top of the flood, and with a strong
land-breeze in their favour."

"So much the better," returned Captain Vernon, with sparkling eyes.
"But we will take care to have the boats in the creek in good time. You
never know where to have these fellows; they are as cunning as foxes.
Please note their position as accurately as you can, Mr Smellie, for I
intend you to lead the attack to-night."

"Thank you, sir," answered Smellie delightedly; and planting himself
comfortably astride a branch, he drew out a pencil and paper and
proceeded to make a very careful sketch-chart of the river-mouth, Banana
Creek, and the creek in which the slavers were lying; noting the
bearings carefully with the aid of a pocket-compass.

"There, sir," said he, when he had finished, showing the sketch to the
skipper; "that will enable me to find them, I think, let the night be as
dark or as thick as it may. How do you think it looks for accuracy?"

"Capital!" answered Captain Vernon approvingly; "you really have a
splendid eye for proportion and distance, Mr Smellie. That little
chart might almost have been drawn to scale, so correct does it look.
How in the world do you manage it?"

"It is all custom," was the reply. "I make it an invariable rule to
devote time and care enough to such sketches as this to ensure their
being as nearly accurate as possible. I have devised a few rules upon
which I always work; and the result is generally a very near
approximation to absolute accuracy. But the sun is getting low; had we
not better be moving, sir?"

"By all means, if you are sure you have all the information you need,"
was the reply. "I would not miss my way in that confounded jungle to-
night for anything. It would completely upset all our arrangements."

"To say nothing of the possibility of our affording a meal to some of
the hungry carnivora which