to his own vessel--he wouldn't leave us till everything was
ship-shape again with the slaver and everybody seemed comfortable-like;
taking with him the majority of the Arabs who had been uninjured in the
scuffle, and who might have tried perhaps to recapture the dhow from the
small lot of men whom our captain was able only to spare to man her. Of
course, there was very little chance of their attempting this now that
their skipper was dead, the coxswain's thrust with his cutlass having
lost the dark gentleman the `number of his mess'; but still, after the
treachery they had already shown, it was best to take all proper
precautions to spoil any little game they might try on.

"During the night, the _Dolphin_ kept under easy steam head to sea, only
just preventing us from drifting ashore, as our tow-rope was hardly ever
taut the whole time, for the wind blew so strongly still from the
northward and eastward, the very direction we had to make for to reach
Zanzibar with our prize, that it was impossible for the steamer to make
any way against it, especially with the dhow in tow. The sea, too, was
also very rough, breaking over the frail craft so frequently that we had
to pack down all the slaves again below to prevent their being washed
overboard.

"Towards morning, the wind gradually lessened, showing signs of
shifting, which was to be expected at the season, being near the end of
March. The sea, too, calmed down a bit, but there was still a heavy
ground-swell, and from all appearances it looked as if there was going
to be a squall, the more especially as it began to rain heavily. I had
been left by Captain Wilson in charge of the prize-crew, and this change
in the weather made me feel somewhat uneasy of the tow-rope breaking
from the increased strain there was now on it through the labouring of
the dhow; for I thought it would be better for both the _Dolphin_ and
ourselves that we should cast loose and each sail on her own account, as
at this time of the year the south-west monsoon, which takes the place
of the north-eastern `kizkasi,' as it is cabled, or Indian trade-wind,
generally sets in with a violent tornado blowing from off the land.

"Accordingly, as soon as daylight I hailed the steamer to send a boat
aboard for me as I wished to speak to the captain. I had something more
to tell him, however, than about my fears concerning the weather; for,
while I was keeping watch during the night, I had heard some words