cle," I replied.

"No doubt about it, my boy."

"Nat, my boy," cried Ebo laughing, for he had caught part of my uncle's
speech.

"Yes, he has been here before, and probably has touched at some place
where he has seen, or thinks he has seen, plenty of birds. At any rate,
if the weather holds fair it will not be such a very difficult thing to
run for some island for shelter."

I had been thinking the same thing, that it seemed a very risky
proceeding to sail right out to sea under the guidance of this savage;
but there was so much romance and novelty in the idea of sailing away
like Columbus in search of a new land, that I thoroughly enjoyed it, and
the farther we sailed the more excited I grew.

It was now plain enough why Ebo had insisted upon a good supply of fish,
for we dined off it and then made our evening meal of the same, no land
being in sight, and when at last the lower edge of the sun seemed to
touch the crimson water, sending a path of light right to our canoe,
whose sail it seemed to turn to ruddy gold, there was still no land in
sight.

My uncle stood up and used the glass, gazing straight before him in the
direction that seemed to be our goal; but Ebo shook his head, and then
closed his eyes and made believe to sleep, pointing to us in turn.

"He wants us to lie down and sleep, Nat," said my uncle, "but it is out
of the question;" and he shook his head.

Ebo tried again and again to get us to lie down, but finding that we
would not, he sat there laughing and looking as merry as could be,
although there was no land in sight, and at last, when the sun was
disappearing, he placed the paddle in my uncle's hand, pointing
south-south-west as the course to be steered, after which he lay down
and went off fast asleep.

I sat talking to my uncle and holding the sheet, though the breeze was
so steady it seemed to be quite unnecessary, while he steered the canoe
onward through the darkness, taking the stars for his compass, till the
motion of the boat and the darkness combined to send me off into a deep
sleep. I had closed my eyes and started up several times before, but
this last time, when I opened my eyes again a was to see the black
figure of Ebo seated there steering, with the sun just above the
horizon, and my uncle stretched in the bottom of the canoe fast asleep.

Ebo grinned as I stared at him, and then as I looked about I found that
far away to the west there was land that we must have passed