In my
heart I prayed that we should be captured.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

I was beginning to draw hope from the behaviour of the slave-captain and
his mate. Their apprehension increased as they saw the cutter expand
her sails and commence moving through the water. So rapid was the
manoeuvre, it was evident she had not waited to take up her anchor, but
had cut the cable! So said the people of the _Pandora_.

The mate appeared to urge some desperate course upon his superior. His
words were--as I heard them:--

"We can't pass her--it's no use, by --, the other's our only chance--the
tide's well in--there'll be no danger."

"Try it, then!" was the captain's reply; "we'll be taken anyhow if we
don't, and, by --, I'd rather go to pieces on a reef than be taken by
this bloody so-and-so."

The blasphemous dialogue ended, and the mate hurried off to give some
directions to the crew.

I knew not what they meant to do, but in a few moments after, I observed
that the _Pandora_ suddenly changed her course and steered direct for
the cutter! One would have thought she was going to run right down upon
the latter, as if to ride over her, or have a shot from her bow-ports;
and no doubt the warship was astonished at the manoeuvre, as were many
of the slaver's own crew.

The mate, however, who had counselled this movement, had a method in his
madness. It was not his intention to rush upon destruction, so certain
as that would have been; and before the _Pandora_ had sailed three
cables' length in its new direction, she was seen to tack round, till
the wind lay upon her beam and her bowsprit once more pointed towards
the land!

This manoeuvre was still a mystery to most of the slaver's crew, who, of
course, acted only in obedience to orders. There were a few of them,
however, in the confidence of their officers who knew the intention.

The cruiser evidently did not. No doubt the idea of her commander was
that the barque was making back for the river, for towards that point
was she now heading. Seeing that she could not escape out to sea, she
was giving up the attempt, and her crew were now resolved in running the
vessel either into the river again, or ashore anywhere, with the design
of abandoning her and making their escape to the boats. Thus only could
the cutter's commander interpret the strange manoeuvre of the barque.
He never suspected a ruse, for there seemed no chance of affecting one.
But the cutter's comma