er beam-ends,
and swept the two men out of her. They struggled gallantly to free
themselves from the wreck, and, succeeding with difficulty, swam across
the sheltered water to the shore, on which they finally landed.
Harold's first exclamation was one of thankfulness for their
deliverance, to which Disco replied with a hearty "Amen!" and then
turning round and surveying the coast, while he slowly thrust his hands
into his wet trouser-pockets, wondered whereabouts in the world they had
got to.
"To the east coast of Africa, to be sure," observed the young
supercargo, with a slight smile, as he wrung the water out of the foot
of his trousers, "the place we were bound for, you know."
"Werry good; so here we are--come to an anchor! Well, I only wish," he
added, sitting down on a piece of driftwood, and rummaging in the
pockets before referred to, as if in search of something--"I only wish
I'd kep' on my weskit, 'cause all my 'baccy's there, and it would be a
rael comfort to have a quid in the circumstances."
It was fortunate for the wrecked voyagers that the set of the current
had carried portions of their vessel to the shore, at a considerable
distance from the spot where they had landed, because a band of natives,
armed with spears and bows and arrows, had watched the wreck from the
neighbouring heights, and had hastened to that part of the coast on
which they knew from experience the cargo would be likely to drift. The
heads of the swimmers being but small specks in the distance, had
escaped observation. Thus they had landed unseen. The spot was near
the entrance to a small river or creek, which was partially concealed by
the formation of the land and by mangrove trees.
Harold was the first to observe that they had not been cast on an
uninhabited shore. While gazing round him, and casting about in his
mind what was best to be done, he heard shouts, and hastening to a rocky
point that hid part of the coast from his view looked cautiously over it
and saw the natives. He beckoned to Disco, who joined him.
"They haven't a friendly look about 'em," observed the seaman, "and
they're summat scant in the matter of clothin'."
"Appearances are often deceptive," returned his companion, "but I so far
agree with you that I think our wisest course will be to retire into the
woods, and there consult as to our future proceedings, for it is quite
certain that as we cannot live on sand and salt water, neither can we
s
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