ed, all who had not been picked up by the boat
must have sunk for ever.

The first dhow was rapidly approaching the anchorage, and the boat,
hoisting her sail, soon afterwards followed her. At all events, it was
evident that their shipmates had been successful. The two midshipmen
were eager to go down and meet them, to hear what had happened, but they
had been ordered to remain on the cliff, and could not--without being
guilty of disobedience--leave their post; they had, therefore, to sit
quiet and curb their impatience, while they continued to keep a lookout
over the ocean.

Tom and Desmond now turned their glasses towards the ship. The dhow she
had captured lay with her sails lowered, waiting for her return, to be
towed up to the anchorage, while she herself was still seen afar off,
though at too remote a distance for her proceedings to be understood.
Against the wind, however, the dhow could do nothing, and was drifting
away to the northward. They were for the present, indeed, more
interested with the dhows taken by the lieutenant and the other boat.
Both appeared crowded with people, Arabs and blacks, besides the seamen
of the _Gauntlet_. The boat which had carried Tom and Gerald's party on
shore had returned to the ship, so that even could they have ventured to
leave their post, they would not have been able to get off to satisfy
their curiosity. According to the directions given, they continued
looking out to the southward for the approach of any other dhows,
although there was but little chance of their being stopped; as it was
very evident that neither of the boats were in a condition to put off in
chase of them. In a short time they saw that the boats were employed in
carrying the people from the dhow to the shore, but even before they
landed they were hidden from sight by the intervening rocks and trees.
From the frequent trips the boats had to make, they judged that the dhow
had contained a large number of slaves.

By the time the blacks had been landed, three of the dhows they had at
first seen had got almost up to the southern end of the island. "Why, I
do believe they are coming to bring up at our anchorage," observed Tom.
He was right; the headmost dhow, hauling her wind, stood close round to
the north of the point, as if well acquainted with the locality; and
although the dhow at anchor must have been seen by those on board, she
stood on past her without lowering her sail. She rounded to at so