ttle cabin of the craft, where, outstretched upon a locker that
was barely long enough to accommodate my length, they left me without a
word, and returned to the deck, carefully closing the doors and drawing
over the slide at the head of the companion ladder, and then as
carefully closing both flaps of the hitherto open skylight. This done,
their conversation with Caesar and his satellite was continued in a
leisurely, desultory fashion for about half an hour,--the burden of it
being unintelligible to me through the closed skylight,--when I heard
the two negroes descend into their canoe and shove off, wishing the
others a quick and pleasant passage. Then followed some leisurely
movements on deck, accompanied by the throwing down of a rope or two,
the creaking of blocks and parralls, a _few_ quiet ejaculations as of
men pulling and hauling, the clink of windlass pawls, the loud slatting
of loose canvas in the strong land-breeze that was blowing; and
finally--as the latter sounds ceased--I felt the felucca heel strongly
over to port, and heard the increasing gurgle and wash of water along
the bends and under the counter of the little craft, accompanied by an
occasional call from for'ard to the helmsman, by which I knew that we
were under way, and standing down the harbour toward Port Royal.

By and by I felt the felucca come upright, there was a warning cry on
deck, a sudden, violent flap of canvas overhead, and the felucca heeled
slightly over to starboard; by which I knew that she had squared away,
jibed over, and was running out of the harbour. A few minutes later I
felt her beginning to rise and fall over the gathering seas as she
skimmed away off the land; the motion steadily grew stronger, merging
into a swift, floating, forward rush, as the seas came up astern of her,
followed by a long, dragging pause as the crest swept past; and
presently the companion slide was pushed back, the doors at the head of
the ladder were flung open, and a man--one of those who had helped to
convey me below--descended into the cabin.

"Phew! senor, you are warm down here!" he exclaimed, in perfect English,
as he stood gazing thoughtfully down upon me. I could of course make no
reply, as I was still gagged; but he probably observed the dreadful
condition that the gag and the lashings round my wrists and ankles had
reduced me to, for he continued, as he stooped over me--

"We are now at sea; and as it is therefore impossible for you t