in any way, they would number more than
ten to one of the crew, and thus the vessel could be captured. What to
do, then, Hans did not know; but he thought that if all the sails were
taken off the vessel, and she was allowed to remain still on the ocean,
some ship would be sure to see them, and give the aid he required. The
great difficulty was to get up any organised attack, for, except the
Zulus who had been brought down the country with him, there was no one
with whom he could communicate. The Zulus did not seem to understand
the language of the other slaves, and thus it was impossible to obtain
any uniformity of action. Still Hans thought over every possible
chance, and decided that if no other means presented themselves, he
would, by the aid of the Zulus alone, endeavour to do something.

On the fourth day Hans found by the motion of the vessel, that some
change had occurred in the weather, or in the sea. Instead of rolling
steadily onwards with an easy movement, the ship jerked and plunged very
uneasily, seeming sometimes as though rushing furiously onwards, and
then suddenly being checked in her course. There was, too, a great
commotion among the sailors, and the noise made by the wind in the
rigging of the vessel prevented even the groans and yells of the slaves
from being heard. During the whole of the fourth day and night these
conditions prevailed, heavy seas striking the small vessel, and spray in
abundance finding its way down amongst the crowded human beings below.
The night was a long and dreary one. The hatchway which led down to the
slaves' den was narrow, and scarcely allowed enough ventilation to
prevent suffocation. The darkness was such that not even a hand could
be seen when held close to the face, and as Hans could not sleep, his
torture in being thus confined was almost unbearable.

The first signs of daylight had just begun to appear, when Hans heard a
shout on deck, followed by the sound of rushing feet; then a series of
shouts, and what appeared to him execrations, uttered in a language
which he could not comprehend. He endeavoured to discover what was the
cause of this sudden commotion, and after a time he believed that either
the ship had met with some accident, and was likely to go down, or her
direction had been changed for some reason with which he was not
acquainted. As the daylight increased, he could obtain glimpses through
the hatchway of the masts, and he then found that th