h a thick haze overhead; and at last the lieutenant
whispered,--"Lucky if we don't some of us catch fever to-night."

"Look here, Vandean, if we don't soon see something I shall signal the
ship for a recall. We shall do nothing to-night. Eh? what?"

"I heard voices off to the left," Mark whispered. "Then it's the
schooner," said the lieutenant, in a suppressed voice. "Give way, my
lads! steady! I shall lay the boat alongside, and you must board her
somehow. Coxswain only stay in the boat."

The men received their orders in silence, but a suppressed sigh told of
their eagerness and readiness to act.

A minute later there was a sharp rattling sound, a savage growl, and a
loud burst of laughter.

The first cutter had come in contact with the second, and directly after
there was a whirring, brushing sound of branches sweeping over the
boats, one of which bumped against a root and nearly capsized.

"Tut, tut, tut!" ejaculated the lieutenant; "back water, my lads! We
are doing no good here. It is impossible to see where we are going."

There was a slight splashing, and the boats began to descend the stream,
swept along by the tide for a time, till they lay on their oars again.

"What's that, Mr Russell?" whispered Mark, all at once.

"What? I heard nothing but one of the oars badly muffled."

"I didn't near anything. I meant what's that I can smell?"

The lieutenant started, and just then there was a peculiarly offensive,
sickening odour perceptible.

"No mistaking that," whispered the lieutenant; and, giving orders, a
lantern was taken from beneath the sail, and shown above the gunwale of
the boat.

Almost immediately a faint star-like light shone out at a distance on
their left, and the lantern was hidden and the star disappeared.

"Why's that?" whispered Mark.

"Let the other boat know the slaver's dropping down," was whispered
back.

"But is she?" said Mark, excitedly.

"No doubt about that, my lad. Pull steady."

The men obeyed, and the boat was steered in a zigzag fashion down the
river, but there was no sign of the slaver. If she was dropping down it
was so silently that her presence was not detected, and at last a
fresher feeling in the air warned the occupants of the first cutter that
they must be nearing the mouth of the river.

"Light," whispered Mark, pointing off to his right, where, faintly seen,
there was a feeble ray.

"Signal," whispered the lieutenant. The lantern was sho