erer.

"Ah, we think little about the life of a black," he answered carelessly.

"So it seems," I said, for I felt utterly horrified at what I had
witnessed. A feeling of desperate indifference to my own fate had crept
over me. "Poor Paul! that the wretches should have treated you thus," I
said to myself. Then I remembered how Paul would have acted, and I
prayed that he might be protected, though I confess I had little
expectation of his escaping the ravenous jaws of a shark.

So eager was I to ascertain what had happened, that had not my friend
locked the door on me, in spite of his warnings, I should have gone out
again to watch the progress of the chase. Some time elapsed; I longed
again to hear the sound of the corvette's guns, but in vain. The wind
had increased, as I could judge by the movement of the vessel; and I at
length began to fear that she would after all escape.

Some hours passed away, my friend at length came back. "You are hungry,
I dare say," he said, "and you may come into the cabin and have some
supper, but it is not safe for you to go on deck, the crew are angry at
your having interfered about the black seaman; although our plan has
answered, for your good natured-countrymen, by stopping to pick up the
negroes, have enabled us to escape them. A few of the wretches were, to
be sure, picked off by the sharks."

"Did my friend, the black sailor, escape?" I asked eagerly.

"As to that I cannot say," he answered, "undoubtedly some escaped, or
the corvette would not have hove-to so often. But come, the supper is
on the table."

I declared that I had no appetite; but he insisted upon my going into
the cabin, and said that he should be offended if I did not. "It would
be better for you also to put an indifferent face on the matter," he
added.

Those of the officers who came to supper were laughing and talking in
good spirits, and, as far as I could judge, seemed to be amusing
themselves at my expense. I, however, had the wisdom to follow my
friend's advice, and showed no signs of annoyance. I confess, too, that
the sight of the food quickly restored my appetite.

When supper was over my friend advised me to go back to my cabin. "We
shall be far away from the corvette by to-morrow morning, and then you
can come on deck if you like," he observed.

As I lay in my berth the dreadful scenes I had witnessed came constantly
before my sight, and I kept alternately hoping that Paul might hav