we had still enough ammunition remaining to kill game for
our support, but it was necessary carefully to husband it, Charley at
once called a council of war.

"One thing is certain. We must not delay," he observed, "for even when
we do reach the coast, we don't know how long we may be detained, and
unless we fall in with friendly savages we may find it difficult to
procure food; or, perhaps, indeed have to fight our way. We are bound
also to protect the blacks who are trusting to us, for depend upon it,
every attempt will be made by the slave-trading rascals on the coast to
detain them."

Every one agreed with Charley, and without loss of time we commenced our
march. I have already described travelling in Africa, so that I need
not enter into the details of the journey we performed. We passed
through the neighbourhood of several villages, from the inhabitants of
which, with the remainder of the beads and the trinkets we possessed, we
purchased food so that we were able to husband our powder and shot. Two
attempts were made to carry off our black friends, but by showing a bold
front and by pushing on, we prevented them from being made prisoners.

The health of all the party was wonderfully preserved, indeed the
climate, though so close under the line--from the nature of the soil--is
superior to that further north. At length to our great joy we caught
sight from a rising ground of the blue ocean sparkling in the distance.

We had been two weeks performing the journey. We found that we had hit
the shore some way to the south of the river, at a spot where a fine
sheltered bay afforded a tempting harbour to any ships cruising off the
coast, and the clear sparkling stream, which flowed down from the hill
side at which vessels could obtain water, made it still more a likely
spot to be touched at.

We accordingly determined to pitch our camp there, near a wood from
which we could obtain materials for building huts, and an ample supply
of fuel for our fires as well as game for our food. It seemed
surprising that no blacks should have taken up their abode in what
appeared to us so fine a situation. We lost no time in erecting our
huts, and making ourselves, as Tom called it, "at home."

Of course we could not tell how long we might be detained there. Day
after day passed by, no ship appeared in sight. At length Charley
proposed proceeding to the northward, but Harry and I urged him to wait
patiently a little lon