steered after her, hoping that
by some fortunate chance he might at length get her under his guns.

Dick Needham and Tom were standing on the forecastle, with their glances
directed towards the chase, on which it was evident they were at length
gaining. "It seems to me, Mr Needham," observed Tom, who had been
taking a long, steady look at the chase, "they're heaving something
overboard; what it is I can't make out,--scarcely a cargo of ballast,--
but we shall soon discover when we get up to her, as we shall, I hope,
before long."

Needham took another steady look. "As true as I'm an Englishman, it is
her cargo though," he exclaimed; "a living cargo, or what was living not
long ago. They're heaving overboard the black slaves; not one at a
time, as I've seen down on the West Coast, just to induce the cruiser in
chase to heave-to for the purpose of picking them up, but dozens at a
time, so it seems to me. Yes, I am sure of it, the outrageous villains!
they've no notion of the power of our glasses. I wish our guns would
carry as far; we'd soon make them understand that we'd our eyes upon
them."

"I'll go and tell the commander," exclaimed Tom. "Can nothing be done
to stop them?"

"We're doing all we can, for we can't make the brig walk faster than
she's going," answered Needham.

Tom hurried aft with the information, and Jack and most of his officers
were soon directing their glasses on the dhow. Although some doubted
that the black objects they saw thrown over the side could really be
human beings, the majority were of opinion that such was the case.
Little had Jack thought, when going in chase of the slaver, that he was
to be the unintentional cause of the death of numbers of his
fellow-creatures; yet he was convinced that such really was the case.

Eager as all were to stop the butchery they believed going forward, it
was impossible to set more sail or to do anything else to make the brig
move along faster. They could only wish that they had steam-power,
when, if a dead calm should come on, they might quickly have got up with
the dhow. As it was, all they could do was to steer steadily after her,
and as soon as they could get her within range of their bow-chasers, to
fire away, and compel her to heave-to. The best of the day was before
them, so that, should the wind hold, they must ultimately come up with
her. This was their only consolation. Since she was first sighted they
had gained a couple of mile