emed well on the alert as he stepped into
the second cutter, and soon after each of the boats had run up their
little sail, for a light breeze was blowing, and, leaving the sloop
behind, all the men full of excitement as every eye was fixed upon the
long stretches of mangrove north and south in search of the hidden
opening which might mean the way into some creek, or perhaps the
half-choked-up entrance into one of the muddy rivers of the vast African
shore.

CHAPTER THREE.

THE CUTE VISITOR.

The first cutter had the wind in her favour and glided northward mile
after mile along a shore thickly covered with the peculiar growth of the
mangrove, those dense bird-affecting, reptile-haunted coverts, whose
sole use seems to be that of keeping the muddy soil of the West Afric
shores from being washed away.

The heat was terrible, and the men were congratulating themselves on the
fact that the wind held out and saved them from the painful task of
rowing hard in the blistering sunshine.

Murray's duty was to handle the tiller lines as he sat in the stern
sheets beside the first lieutenant, and after being out close upon three
hours he began to feel that he could keep awake no longer--for his
companion sat silent and stern, his gaze bent upon the dark green shore,
searching vainly for the hidden opening--and in a half torpid state the
midshipman was about to turn to his silent companion and ask to be
relieved of the lines, when he uttered a gasp of thankfulness, and,
forgetting discipline, gripped the officer by the knee.

"What the something, Mr Murray, do you mean by that?" cried the
lieutenant angrily.

"Look!" was the reply, accompanied by a hand stretched out with pointing
index finger.

"Stand by, my lads, ready to pull for all you know," cried the
lieutenant. "The wind may drop at any moment. You, Tom May, take a
pull at that sheet; Mr Murray, tighten that port line. That's better;
we must cut that lugger off. Did you see where she came out?"

"Not quite, sir," said Murray, as he altered the boat's course a trifle,
"but it must have been close hereabouts. What are you going to do,
sir?"

"Do, my lad? Why, take her and make the master or whatever he is, act
as guide."

"I see, sir. Then you think he must have come out of the river where
the schooner has taken refuge?"

"That's what I think," said the lieutenant grimly; "and if I am right I
fancy the captain will not be quite so hard upon us as he