and
glowing. The removal of the bonds from his wrist and ankles had
brought back a full and free circulation, and the food and water had
already restored strength to one so young and strong. He stood up,
flexed his muscles and took deep breaths.

He had no familiarity with the sea, but he was used to navigation in
canoes and boats on large and small lakes in the roughest kind of
weather, and the rocking of the schooner, which continued, did not
make him seasick, despite the close foul air of the little room in
which he was locked. He still heard the creaking of cordage and now he
heard the tumbling of waves too, indicating that the weather was
rough. He tried to judge by these sounds how fast the schooner was
moving, but he could make nothing of it. Then he strained his memory
to see if he could discover in any manner how long he had been on the
vessel, but the period of his unconsciousness remained a mystery,
which he could not unveil by a single second.

Long stay in the room enabled him to penetrate its dusk a little, and
he saw that its light and air came in normal times from a single small
porthole, closed now. Nevertheless a few wisps of mist entered the
tiny crevices, and he inferred the vessel was in a heavy fog. He was
glad of it, because he believed the schooner would move slowly at such
a time, and anything that impeded the long African journey was to his
advantage.

A period which seemed to be six hours but which he afterward knew to
be only one, passed, and his door swung back for the third time. The
face of Miguel appeared in the opening and again he grinned, until his
mouth formed a mighty slash across his face.

"You come on deck now, you Peter," he said, "captain wants you."

Robert's heart gave a mighty beat. Only those who have been shut up in
the dark know what it is to come out into the light. That alone was
sufficient to give him a fresh store of courage and hope. So he
followed Miguel up a narrow ladder and emerged upon the deck. As he
had inferred, the schooner was in a heavy fog, with scarcely any wind
and the sails hanging dead.

The captain stood near the mast, gazing into the fog. He looked
taller and more evil than ever, and Robert saw the outline of a pistol
beneath his heavy pea jacket. Several other men of various
nationalities stood about the deck, and they gave Robert malicious
smiles. Forward he saw a twelve pound brass cannon, a deadly and
dangerous looking piece. It was extre