I do, sir. Look yonder."

"Oh, nonsense!" cried Jack bitterly; "that must be a star setting in the
west."

"Well, it may be, sir, and if it is, it's so close down that in another
five minutes it'll be one; but it strikes me that there's a little
lighter look yonder, and that it's the east. Of course I don't know for
certain like, and I've been asleep. Let's watch for a bit. I believe
it's our star as the guv'nor's had lit up to let us know he's coming
after us--that's what I think, sir."

"It is too much to hope," said Jack despondently.

"Not a bit, sir. You can't say but what it's as likely as likely. But
there, we shall soon know. I wonder whether the niggers have seen it
yet."

Evidently they had not, and this, knowing how sharp-eyed they were,
strengthened Jack's belief that it was only a star, and he said so.

"All right, sir," said Ned, after a long watching, "pr'a'ps you're
right; but it's a new kind if it is, for it don't come up nor it don't
go down. Anyhow that's the east, for the sun means to come up there, or
I'm a Dutchman."

They sat watching for about a quarter of an hour longer, and then Jack
exclaimed softly--

"You were wrong, Ned, it was a star, and it has sank out of sight."

"Down in the east, sir?"

"It cannot be the east, Ned, it must be the west."

"Then it's last night again, sir, and that's a speck left up to show
where the sun went down."

As Ned spoke he pointed to where there was a faint flush of light, which
grew warmer and warmer as Jack sat trying to keep from being too
sanguine. Then he turned away and feared to gaze aft any more, oh
account of the blacks, who were paddling steadily away, for against a
pale streak of light in the east, there, plainly enough to be seen, were
the hull and spars of the _Silver Star_, while like a pennon there
floated out behind her a long dark cloud of smoke, telling that her
engine fires were roaring away and her propeller hard at work.

"I was afraid to hope, Ned," whispered Jack. "Think they see us?"

"Think they see us, sir! Why, of course. Mr Bartlett's up in the
main-top with his glass to his eye, you may be sure, and the lads below
are shovelling in the coals as if they cost nothing. Look at the smoke.
I say, see how the niggers are at it. They know. Shouldn't be
surprised if we catch sight of the place we're going to when the sun's
up. All I hope is that it's so far away that they can't reach it."

The sun rose at