fter
gun sent their shot at the dhow; but the range was a long one, and
tossed as she was from sea to sea, while the ship herself was far from
steady, they flew ahead of their mark. Jack had a hard matter not to
stamp on the deck from rage at the conduct of the Arabs, and pity for
the poor creatures they were thus carrying to destruction. Nothing he
could do would make the ship steam faster, nor could he blame the
gunners for not taking better aim.

"Cease firing," he cried at last; "it is of no use now, as the dhow is
within a cable's length of the breakers." The dhow flew on with her
huge sail stretched to the utmost, and already heeling over fearfully.
It seemed that the water must be rushing into her hold.

"There is a narrow opening between the rocks," exclaimed Higson; "the
dhow has been making for that." Scarcely had he spoken when she was in
the midst of the breakers. They roared around her, and the next moment
she was hurled up towards the beach, her huge sail flying away to
leeward, and flapping wildly in the wind. It seemed impossible that any
human being could escape from amid that furious mass of foam, except the
strongest of swimmers; but notwithstanding this, ere another minute had
passed, a black line was seen here and there, like some enormous
serpent, crawling over the yellow sand from the dark wreck, the Arabs
being distinguished by their coloured dresses as they made their way on
shore. Onward went the miserable blacks, the line becoming thinner and
thinner; still the headmost were flying, when an enormous sea, dashing
on the shore, enfolded the stranded dhow in its embrace. Even the
escaping blacks halted to gaze at the spectacle, as the despairing
shrieks of their wretched countrymen reached their ears; while the dhow,
shattered to fragments, was carried off with all those remaining on
board by the receding billows.

The blacks stopped but a few moments, and then, terrorstricken, fled on
into the desert, there in all probability to perish miserably. "This is
terrible work!" exclaimed Jack. "Had we allowed the dhow to pass,
though those poor creatures might have been kept for ever as slaves,
they might have retained their lives, it may be, and bettered their
condition; but it was our duty to destroy the dhow at all events. Do
you think it possible that any can have escaped, Higson?"

This question was put as the ship neared the scene of the catastrophe.
"Not likely," answered the firs