e
him understand that his intentions were friendly.

Hamed, with his robes girded round him, was as active as anyone,
shouting to the blacks that no harm was meant them, and that the sailors
only wished to prevent them from being carried off into the desert to
perish miserably. His exhortations, and the seamen's activity, resulted
in the capture of fifty or sixty blacks, who were brought in from all
directions; but still some of the seamen continued the pursuit, and
Jack, fearing that they might be carried by their ardour too far, fired
a gun and hoisted a signal for their return to the beach. Fortunately
the signal was seen by Archie, and the stragglers returned, most of them
leading one or more blacks, some with children in their arms, one or two
trotting along with a child under each arm, generally squalling and
crying like a couple of sucking pigs.

It took some time before the whole of the party were collected on the
beach. It was then seen that they were making arrangements for coming
off. Jack felt considerable anxiety about the matter; the surf had
greatly increased since they went on shore, and even then one of the
boats had been lost. Now all depended upon one boat, which must of
necessity be heavily laden. He was not quite at his ease, however, with
regard to the ship; she was much closer inshore than any sailing vessel
would have ventured. Though he knew that the screw would enable him
quickly to gain an offing, he had not as yet that thorough confidence in
its powers which long experience could give. Nearly all his officers,
and a large portion of his crew also, were away; indeed, he had never
before been so short-handed. However, nothing could be gained by delay.
He made a signal for the boat to come off as soon as possible, a line
being carried from the first lieutenant's boat outside the surf to the
shore, and by its means the small boat was to be hauled through the
breakers.

First a portion of the blacks were placed in her, when, the boatswain
taking his seat in the stern, with four hands to pull, she, with her
living freight, was shoved off. Now she rose to the top of a sea which
rolled in, and now she sank into the hollow between that and the
following sea, which so completely hid her from sight, that it appeared
as if she had gone down. Jack heard one of the youngsters crying out,
"She's lost, she's lost!"--but no; once more her bow emerged amidst the
foaming waters, and on she came to