come,"--he smiled slightly at this
point--"from the land everywheres. It bees our chef artikil of trade."

"Indeed! I never heard of it before."

"No?" replied the trader; "you shall see it much here. But I go talk
with my mans. Wait."

Saying this, in a tone which savoured somewhat unpleasantly of command,
the Arab went towards a small hut near to which his men were standing,
and entered into conversation with them.

It was evident that they were ill pleased with what he said at first for
there was a good deal of remonstrance in their tones, while they pointed
frequently in a certain direction which seemed to indicate the
coast-line; but by degrees their tones changed, and they laughed and
chuckled a good deal, as if greatly tickled by the speech of the Arab,
who, however, maintained a look of dignified gravity all the time.

"I don't like the looks o' them fellers," remarked Disco, after
observing them in silence for some time. "They're a cut-throat set, I'm
quite sure, an' if you'll take my advice, Mister Seadrift, we'll give
'em the slip, an' try to hunt up one o' the native villages. I
shouldn't wonder, now, if that chap was a slave-trader."

"The same idea has occurred to myself, Disco," replied Harold, "and I
would willingly leave him if I thought there was a town or village
within twenty miles of us; but we are ignorant on that point and I have
heard enough of the African climate to believe that it might cost us our
lives if we were obliged to spend a night in the jungle without fire,
food, or covering, and with nothing on but a wet flannel shirt and pair
of canvas breeches. No, no, lad, we must not risk it. Besides,
although some Arabs are slave-traders, it does not follow that all are.
This fellow may turn out better than he looks."

Disco Lillihammer experienced some sensations of surprise on hearing his
young friend's remarks on the climate, for he knew nothing whatever
about that of Africa, having sailed chiefly in the Arctic Seas as a
whaler,--and laboured under the delusion that no climate under the sun
could in any degree affect his hardy and well-seasoned frame. He was
too respectful, however, to let his thoughts be known.

Meanwhile the Arab returned.

"I sail this night," he said, "when moon go down. That not far before
midnight. You mus keep by boat here--close. If you go this way or that
the niggers kill you. They not come _here_; they know I is here. I go
look after my goods