ortion, but tried to
snatch it from the hands of the seamen.

Night found them thus employed. The fire they had kindled was now of
the greatest assistance in enabling them to continue serving out the
food, and, at the same time, to watch their prisoners. Though some figs
and other delicacies were found on board, the midshipmen would not give
them to the Arabs, but properly allowed them only such food as they had
laid in for their captives. The fellows grumbled, but hunger made them
accept it. At last, by using kind tones and by gentle treatment, the
seamen quieted the fears of the blacks, who now seemed perfectly
resigned to their lot, and showed no inclination to run away. Still the
midshipmen did not relax in their vigilance; so busily employed were
they that the night passed away more rapidly than they had expected.

Their chief anxiety was regarding the events which had happened on the
island, and which had induced Mr Matson to land there instead of coming
to their assistance. They feared that the Arabs taken in the dhows had
given more trouble than those they had captured; possibly the
lieutenant, confiding in the strength of his party, had not thought it
necessary to bind them, and they had consequently attempted to regain
their liberty. However, this was only conjecture, and they were
compelled to wait patiently to ascertain the truth, hoping that nothing
very serious had happened.

Notwithstanding the general quiet observed by the prisoners, now and
then a black got up and looked about him as if contemplating a start,
but was detected almost immediately by Tom and Desmond, or one of the
seamen, and compelled to sit down again in a good-humoured manner. "You
mustn't be after giving leg-bail to us, old fellow!" exclaimed Tim
Nolan, patting the black on his back; "you'll have plenty of grub
tomorrow, and we'll be taking you to a pleasanter country than this.
Ah, there's another of them!" and away he would start farther round the
circle.

There was evidently no combination among the blacks, or by a number
rising together they might have made their escape. They had all,
probably, been brought from different districts, and scarcely understood
each other's language, many of them having come from the neighbourhood
of Lake Nyassa, and others purchased from the Portuguese much farther
south. A still stricter watch was kept over the Arabs, who growled and
cursed at their captors, but were unable to cast off t