that ruffian crew announced the victory!

Further pursuit was useless. The cutter was still climbing along the
edge of the sandy shoal--slowly, for wind and tide were against her,
while the barque, with all sail set, was scudding down the opposite side
at the rate of twelve knots an hour!

Shots were fired from the cruiser's guns, but with little effect--a
broken spar and a rope or two cut in the rigging were easily set to
rights; and before the cutter could wear and get out to sea the
slave-ship was far, far away towards the rim of the horizon!

CHAPTER FORTY.

Of the cutter we never saw more. When the sun rose there was no sail in
sight, and the slaver alone upon the ocean, was standing upon her
westward course, under a soft gentle breeze and a cloud of sail. No
doubt the cutter had abandoned the chase near the coast--for her former
experience had taught her, that under such a light wind she was no match
for the barque. She saw that the later had escaped--that it would be
useless to follow her out into the Atlantic--and she was constrained,
therefore, to go in search of other slavers that might prove less fleet
than the _Pandora_.

Under these circumstances the chase was abandoned, and the barque was
now free to traverse the wide Atlantic ocean, and deliver her human
cargo on the Brazilian shores. It would be a mere accident if she met
with further interruption. Possibly, an English man-o'-war of the South
American squadron might yet overhaul her; but far more likely she would
find her way into some quiet little Brazilian harbour--or into Cuba if
she preferred it--where she would be entirely welcome, and where her
owner would find not the least difficulty in disposing of his five
hundred "bales," or ten times the number if he had had them.

This then was the probable destiny of the _Pandora_. Her voyage was to
be a success; five hundred more unfortunate beings were to swell the
ranks of slavery--her captain would be enriched--her crew would receive
bounty and live for a time in riotous debauchery--and all this at the
expense of every right of humanity--every principle of morality.

What cared they for this, either captain or crew? They knew that
governments winked at their transgressions--that some openly approved of
them--some of these rough fellows were even intelligent enough to know,
that the apparently earnest endeavours on the part of the government of
Great Britain to suppress slavery and an