ch concealed her from sight. Jack, who
had been on deck enjoying the cool air of the evening, was about to turn
in, when the sentry hailed a small boat which was seen approaching. An
English voice answered, and asked leave to come on board; it was
granted, and a middle-aged seafaring man stepped up the side.

"Who are you, and what do you want, my man?" asked Jack.

"Please you, sir, I am an Englishman; my name is Ralph Hake, of
Plymouth; and I belonged till half an hour ago to a Peruvian schooner,
the _Saltador_, which now lies inside of us; but I've taken French leave
of her, and don't want to go back," answered the man.

"A very clear statement of yours; but what brought you on board this
ship?" asked Jack.

"Because I had nowhere else to go to, sir, and that's why. I'd like to
enter with you, sir; I'm sick of the craft I was serving aboard, and of
the work she was carrying on," answered the man.

"What was that?" asked Jack.

"Just kidnapping poor natives in the different islands away to the
westward whenever she could get hold of them, and bringing them here as
slaves, to labour in the mines, or at any other task their masters may
think fit to put them to," answered Hake. "You see, sir, I was left on
shore sick, from a whaler, which, as she never came back for me, was, I
suppose, lost, and as I was starving, not knowing how this craft was to
be employed, I shipped on board her, being promised high wages and
thinking I should like the trip; but when I came to see the sort of work
she was carrying on, I made up my mind to leave her on the first
opportunity, though I never found that till to-night, when, getting hold
of the dingy which was alongside, I slipped my bag into her, and pulled
away before anyone found me out. I can tell you, sir, I never saw more
cruel work than that craft carried on. When the skipper could, he
enticed the natives on board, and clapped them under hatches. Sometimes
he pretended to trade with them, and got them below under the pretence
of looking at his goods; at others, he asked them into the cabin to have
a bit of something to eat, and, making them drunk, slipped their hands
into handcuffs before they knew what was happening. At some places
where this did not answer he sent the boats' crews armed on shore, and
seized as many as he could fall in with, and not unfrequently took the
people out of fishing-canoes, which he sent to the bottom. I have known
him run down three or fo