"Well, Mr Anderson," said the captain, as the latter briefly related
the last sayings of the American, "that's all plain enough, and in a few
minutes we ought to be alongside."
"Yes, sir, after following the windings of the river, or in other words
following our guide, till we see the masts of the schooner above the
trees." And the lieutenant stood anxiously watching the lugger, which
seemed to have rapidly increased its distance. "I presume, sir, that we
are all ready for action?"
"Of course we are, Mr Anderson," said the captain stiffly. "We shall
keep on till we are pretty close, then run up into the wind, and you and
Mr Munday will head the boarders. We shall take them so by surprise
that there will be very little resistance. But I see no signs of the
schooner's spars yet."
"No, sir, but we have to make another bend round yet."
"Yes, of course," said the captain, as he swept the river banks with his
night glass.
"The river seems to fork here, though, sir," said the lieutenant
anxiously.
"Humph! Yes; but I suppose it's all right, for the lugger keeps on. We
must be on the correct course if we follow him."
"Beg pardon, sir," said Murray excitedly. "I caught sight of the masts
of a vessel lying yonder."
"Eh? Where, Mr Murray?" said the captain, in a low voice full of
excitement.
"Yonder, sir, about half a mile to starboard, beyond the trees on the
bank."
"To be sure! Tall taper spars. I see, Mr Murray."
"But the sloop is running straight away to port, sir," said the
lieutenant anxiously.
"Well, what of that, Mr Anderson? Did not the American tell you that
we were to follow certain bends of the river?"
"Yes, sir, but--"
"Yes, sir, but!" said the captain, in an angry whisper. "Is this a time
for raising buts? According to your own showing, the schooner was to be
found at anchor in one of the bends where the black chief's town lay."
"Yes, sir, but I see no sign of any thatched huts."
"All in good time, Mr Anderson. We shall see the lugger swing round
that next point directly, and then we shall be in full view of our
prize."
The captain turned from his chief officer impatiently, and then in a low
tone issued a few orders with respect to future proceedings, the master
following out the instructions, while the two boarding parties, each
armed and ready, stood waiting for the command which should launch them
on board the now invisible slaver.
"Bah!" ejaculated the captain. "We are half-an-hour too late. We ought
to be alongside now. Hang the fellow, Mr Anderson! Can he be taking
us the right way round that point?"
"I hope so, sir, but I have my suspicions," replied the lieutenant
anxiously.
"What, that he is playing us false?"
"No, sir, but that he has lost heart and is afraid to pilot us right to
where the schooner lies."
"The scoundrel! If he has--" began the captain, sharing now in his
subordinate's anxiety. "Oh, impossible! He must know better than we
do. Ahoy, there!" he cried, speaking just loud enough for the lookout
to hear. "Can you make out where the lugger is making for?"
"Ay, ay, sir! Bit of a creek yonder, right inshore."
"That's it, sir," cried the lieutenant excitedly; "he has taken fright.
We must run round that bend yonder, keeping to mid-stream."
"Or anchor," exclaimed the captain sharply. "Why, confound it, man!
The river forks here, and we are in a branch with a current running in
another direction. Stand by there to lower the anchor!" he roared, "or
we shall be ashore."
The order came too late, for as in obedience to order after order, the
sloop's course was altered and her sails began to shiver, there was a
preliminary shock as if bottom had been lightly touched, then a shiver
which seemed to communicate itself upward from the deck through Murray's
spine, and the next minute the _Seafowl_ heeled over slightly as she
seemed to cut her way onward into the soft mud, where she stuck fast
with the fierce current into which they had run pressing hardly against
her side as it raced swiftly by.
"Trapped!" said a voice from close to Murray's ear, and the young man
turned swiftly from where he had been gazing over the side in the
direction of the further shore, to encounter the first lieutenant's
angry eyes. "Well, Mr Murray," he said bitterly, "where is that Yankee
snake?"
"Just gliding in yonder among the trees, sir," cried the young man
passionately. "I suspected him from the first."
"Well, Mr Anderson," said the captain, hurrying up, and as coolly as if
nothing whatever was wrong, "either you or I have placed the sloop in
about as unpleasant a position as it was possible to get. Now then, how
about getting out of it?"
"We're on soft mud, sir," said the gentleman addressed.
"And with a falling tide, I'm afraid. There, get to work man, and see
what can be done with an anchor to haul her upon a level keel before the
position is worse, for we shall board no slaver to-day."
"Beg pardon, sir."
"What is it, Mr Murray?"
The midshipman pointed right aft, where the faint mist was floating away
from where it hung about a mile away over the distant shore.
"Well, sir, why don't you speak?" cried the captain, now speaking
angrily. "Oh, I beg your pardon, Mr Murray; another mist was in my
eyes. That must be the course of the other fork of the river. I see it
plainly now. We have been lured up here and run upon this muddy shoal
in the belief that we shall never get off; and there goes our prize with
her load of black unfortunates. Do you see her, Mr Anderson?"
"Too plainly, sir," said the chief officer sadly.
For it was now broad daylight and the swift-looking schooner was gliding
along apparently through the trees which covered a narrow spit of land.
"Hah!" said the captain quietly. "Yes, that's it, Mr Anderson--our
prize, and a beautiful morning for her to make her start for the West
Indies. Bless that straightforward, timorous, modest American skipper!
Do you know, Mr Anderson, I am strongly of opinion that he commands
that craft and that he will find his way through some of the muddy
creeks and channels of the mangrove forest back to where she will be
waiting for him. Well, master, what do you think?" he continued, as
that officer came up hurriedly. "Will the sloop lie over any further?"
"No, sir; that is stopped; but we are wedged in fast."
"So I suppose. Well, Mr Thomson, it does not mean a wreck?"
"No, no, sir, nor any damage as far as I can say."
"Damage, Mr Thomson," said the captain, smiling at him pleasantly; "but
it does, man; damage to our reputation--mine--Mr Anderson's. But you
were going to say something, to ask me some question."
"Yes, sir; about taking steps to get the sloop out of the bed in which
she lies."
"Poor bird, yes; but you see no risk for the present?"
"Not the slightest, sir. The mud is so soft."
"Mud generally is, Mr Thomson," said the captain blandly. "Well, then,
let her rest for a while. We are all tired after a long night's work.
Pass the word to Mr Dempsey, and let him pipe all hands for breakfast.
I want mine badly."
There was a faint cheer at this, followed by another, and then by one
which Murray said was a regular "roarer."
"I say," he said to Roberts, "doesn't he take it splendidly!"
"Don't you make any mistake," replied that young gentleman. "He seems
as cool as a cucumber, but he's boiling with rage, and if he had that
Yankee here he'd hang him from the yard-arm as sure as he's his mother's
son."
"And serve him right," said Murray bitterly.
"What's that, young gentlemen?" said the captain, turning upon them
sharply, for he had noted what was going on and placed his own
interpretation upon the conversation--"criticising your superiors?"
"No, sir," said Murray frankly; "we were talking about punishing the
Yankee who tricked us into this."
"Gently, Mr Murray--gently, sir! You hot-blooded boys are in _too_
great a hurry. Wait a bit. I dare say we shall have the pleasure of
another interview with him; and, by the way, Mr Anderson, I think as we
are so near, we might as well inspect the indiarubber plantations of our
friend. We might see, too, if he has any more work-people of the same
type as those who manned his galley."
"I'm afraid we should only find them on board the schooner, sir," said
the chief officer bitterly.
"Exactly," said the captain; "but I wonder at you young gentlemen," he
continued--"you with your sharp young brains allowing yourselves to be
deceived as you were. Those fellows who formed the lugger's crew ought
not to have hoodwinked you."
"They did me, sir," said Roberts, speaking out warmly, "but Murray,
here, sir, was full of suspicion from the first."