was
altogether too much for them, and a general shout of "Don't fire;
we go back!" rose from the boats.

For a minute or two they lay motionless, afraid even to dip an oar
in the water lest it should bring down a storm upon them, but as
the Osprey glided slowly away the rearmost boat began to turn
round, the others followed her example, and they were soon rowing
back even more rapidly than they had come.

"You can cast off that boat, Hawkins, as soon as we are out into
the bay," Frank said, and then went down below.

"Our troubles are all over at last, dear, and we can have a quiet
talk," he said. "As I expected, the negroes lost heart as soon as
they came near, and the threat of a round of grape from the guns
finally settled them. They are off for home, and we shall hear no
more of them. Now you had best be off to bed at once. You have had
a terrible day of it, and it is just two o'clock.

"Ah! that is right," he broke off, as the steward entered carrying
a tray with tea things. "I had forgotten all about that necessity.
You had better call Anna in; she must want a cup too, poor girl."

"Yes, I should like a cup of tea," Bertha said, as she sat down to
the tray, "but I really don't feel so tired as you would think."

"You will feel it all the more afterwards, I am afraid," Frank
replied. "The excitement has kept you up."

"Yes, we felt dreadfully tired, didn't we, Anna, before we gave up?
But the two hours' row in the boat, and all this excitement here,
have made me almost forget it. It seems to me now quite impossible
that it can be only about nine hours since you rushed out so
suddenly with your men. It seems to me quite far off; further than
many things do that happened a week ago. And please to remember
that your advice to go to bed is quite as seasonable in your case
as in mine."

When he had seen them leave the saloon, Frank went on deck for a
last look round.

"I don't think that there is a chance of anything happening before
morning, Hawkins, but you will, of course, keep a sharp lookout and
let me know."

"I will look out, sir. I have sent the four hands who were with you
down to their berths, as soon as the niggers turned back. Lechmere
has turned in, too."

"Is the wind freshening at all?"

"Not yet, sir. I don't suppose that we shall get more than we have
now till day begins to break. Still, we are crawling on and shall
be out in the bay in another quarter of an hour."

When Frank got up