the captain will be sending to look for you," he
whispered. "Good-bye, gentlemen," he added aloud; "glad to see you on
board again."

We found a couple of blacks in the house--an old man and a woman,
servants of the owner--to look after it. They appeared well disposed,
and brought us food and everything we required for ourselves and the
wounded men. The latter--ruffians as they may have been--were very
grateful to us, and one and all declared that they would not have
received such attention from their own shipmates.

"I should think you must be pretty well sick of the life you have been
leading," I ventured to say in a low voice to one of them, who appeared
to be of a better disposition than the rest. "That indeed I am, sir,"
he answered, the tears coming into his eyes. "I'd leave it to-morrow if
I could, for I know a sudden death or a bowline-knot will be my lot some
day or other."

"What do your wounded shipmates think about the subject?" I asked.

"I cannot say positively; but my idea is that they would be glad enough
to get free if they had the chance," was the answer.

I did not venture to make any remark in return, but the thought then
occurred to me that we might possibly all escape together. If we could
procure arms, we should form a pretty strong party, and might fight our
way in any direction in which it might be advisable to go. The French
had a settlement on that part of the coast, so had the Portuguese
further south; but the English had none except a long way to the north.
Still, as ships of war and traders occasionally appeared off the coast,
could we once reach it, we might make signals and be taken on board. I
do not mean to say that Harry or I had much hope of thus escaping, still
it was possible, and that assisted to keep up our spirits.

Captain Trunnion appeared much disappointed at not finding the number of
slaves he had expected in the barracoons, as it would compel him to wait
until they could be obtained from the interior, and his crew he knew
were as liable to coast fever as that of any other vessel.

Next to the house in which we lived was a large store where the cargo of
the "Vulture" was stored when landed. At a short distance off were
several barracoons. I may as well describe one of them. It was a shed
composed of heavy piles driven deep into the earth, lashed together with
bamboos, and thatched with palm-leaves. Down the centre was another row
of piles, along which was