red floating,
as it were, almost at rest on its summit, and then downwards she slid,
slowly making her onward way.

In a few minutes more we were in the free open ocean, and the dark
sombre river, with its gloomy associations, was far astern. Every inch
of canvas the vessel could carry was set, that we might get a good
offing before nightfall, when a calm was to be expected.

"I never wish to see that place again," I could not help exclaiming.

"Don't say that, Harry," answered the captain. "We may hope to have
better luck the next time. If you ever want to grow rich you must run
some risk. We have had an unusually sickly season, which may not again
occur; and if the owners ask me to go back, I am not the man to refuse
to do so, and I should look to you to go along with me."

Can it be possible, I thought, that a man, after running so fearful a
risk, would willingly again expose himself to the same danger, merely
for the sake of rapidly gaining wealth? I forgot at the moment that
people not only hazard their health but their souls, for that object.
Had I remembered the fact, I should not have been surprised at what the
captain had said.

We had got out of sight of land, but the wind was very light, and we
made little progress. In a short time it fell calm altogether, and the
vessel lay like a log on the water. The heat, too, was very great, and
the captain appeared to suffer from it. It was evident, indeed, that he
was falling rapidly back, and he had now no strength to come on deck. I
was much alarmed on his account, for I thought it too likely that, after
apparently being so near recovery, he would die. I was anxious also on
our own account, for knowing so little as I did about navigation, I
could not tell how I should take the vessel into port. I got out a
chart and studied it, and marked the spot where I believed we then were.
I then drew a line from it to Sierra Leone, the place for which I
intended to steer. It lay about north-west of us, and I hoped that if I
could sight the land to the southward I might coast along till I came to
it. There were, however, I knew, strong currents running, which might
take us out of our course, and we might have contrary winds, which would
further increase the difficulty. I thought that very likely some of the
blacks knew more about the matter than I did, but I did not like to
confess my apprehensions to them lest they might be tempted to play some
trick, and per