ers had been seen. As soon
as Ned was able, he hurried aloft with his spy-glass, eager to have a
look at them. He counted not only five, but six, all of them dhows. As
yet they were probably not aware of the presence of a man-of-war, for
their hulls were still below the horizon. He hoped, therefore, that the
"Ione" would gain on them before they should hoist their larger sails.
He knew that it was the custom of the Arabs to carry only small sails at
night. The usual preparations were made on board the corvette, the
boats were cleared ready for lowering, the bow-chasers loaded and run
out, and buckets of water were thrown over the sails to make them hold
the wind.

"We are gaining on them!" exclaimed Ned to Charley, as, after a third
trip aloft, he came again on deck.

"So we may be, but we must remember that after all they may be only
honest traders, and not have a slave on board," observed Charley. "We
shall judge better if they make more sail when they discover us. If
they are honest traders they will keep jogging on as before, if not,
depend upon it they will try to escape."

"They may try, but they'll find that the `Ione' has a fast pair of
heels, and we shall have the fun of overhauling them at all events,"
said Ned.

At length the Arabs must have discovered the man-of-war. First the
nearest hoisted her big sail, and also set one on her after-mast. Then
another and another dhow followed her example, and then the whole
squadron, like white-winged birds, went skimming along over the blue
sea.

"What do you think now, Charley, of the strangers?" asked Ned.

"No doubt that they wish to keep ahead of us, but whether or not we
shall get up with them is another question, though, if the wind holds as
it now does, we may do it."

The commander and gun-room officers were fully as eager as Ned to
overtake the dhows. They had, they thought, at length got some
veritable slavers in sight, and it would be provoking to lose them. It
was, however, curious that they should all keep together; probably,
however, none of them wished to steer a course by which they would run a
greater chance of falling into the power of their pursuer. Seldom had
breakfast been disposed of more quickly by officers and crew than that
morning. The dhows could now be seen clearly from the deck, proof
positive that the corvette was sailing much faster than they were. Once
headed, most of them might be captured, for the dhow can sail bu