manner
which distinguishes the genuine pirate; but, as Ryan observed, the first
of these objections would grow less noticeable with every day that we
wore the clothes, while the other was not necessary, or, if it should
become so, must be assumed as successfully as our talents in that
direction would permit. As for the crew, they had by Ryan's orders
discarded their usual clothing for jumpers and trousers of blue
dungaree, with soft felt hats, cloth caps, or knitted worsted nightcaps
by way of head-covering, so that, viewed through a telescope, we might
present as slovenly and un-man-o'-war-like an appearance as possible.
This effect was further heightened by Ryan having very wisely insisted
that not a spar or rope of the schooner should be altered or interfered
with in any way, saving of course where it needed refitting; those
therefore who happened to know the _Felicidad_ would recognise her at
once; and it was our business so to conduct ourselves that they should
not suspect her change of ownership until too late to effect an escape.
Her capture was of course by this time known to many of the craft
frequenting the Congo; but that we could not help; our plans were based
mostly upon the hope that there were still many who did not know it, and
also, to some extent, upon a belief that, even to those who were aware
of it, we might by judicious behaviour convey an impression that her
people had cleverly effected their own and her escape, and were once
more boldly pursuing their lawless trade.

We did not much expect to fall in with anything worthy of our attention
until we were pretty close up with the Line; we therefore carried on all
through the first night and the whole of the next day, arriving by
sunset upon the northern boundary of what we considered our cruising
ground proper. And then, as ill-luck would have it, the wind died away,
and left us rolling helplessly upon a long, glassy swell, without
steerage-way, the schooner's head boxing the compass. This period of
calm lasted all through the night and the whole of the next day, varied
only by an occasional cat's-paw of scarcely sufficient strength or
duration to enable us to get the schooner's jib-boom pointed in the
right direction. But this did not trouble Ryan in the least, for, as he
reminded me for my consolation, we were now just where we wanted to be,
and the first breeze that sprang up might bring with it one of the
gentry that we were so anxiously on