ble you to light me, sir, for I must lead the
way. Come, Mr Roberts, you can lead the men, and you will keep close
up. Draw--no, no, leave that dress ornament in its scabbard. You too,
Mr Murray. Take two of the men's cutlasses, and they can use their
muskets. Here, darkie, are you coming too?"

"Yes, Massa buccra officer. Caesar come show the way. You no let Massa
Huggin kill poor niggah?"

"That I promise you, my good fellow," said the lieutenant. "Now, Mr
Murray, forward, please."

To the surprise of all present the black stepped quickly to the top of
the stairs, and kneeling down thrust his head over and seemed to listen
attentively before placing a hand upon the floor upon either side of the
opening and lowering himself down.

"Massa come along quick. Nobody here."

"How's that?" cried Murray. "Isn't Mr Allen there?"

"No, massa. Him gone along Massa Huggin--take him right away, so him no
tell Bri'sh officer where all de slabes hid ashore, and whar to fine de
slaber ship."

"Light is beginning to dawn into my benighted intellect now, Mr
Murray," said the lieutenant, following the midshipman, as, carefully
sheltering the little taper from the damp wind which seemed to blow up
from the hole in the floor, the lad stepped down quickly after the
black. "And it seems to me, for your comfort, my lad, that you need not
be in the slightest degree alarmed at the prospect of facing the captain
and being called to account for the loss of your prisoner, for your loss
is going to turn out a great gain. Here, follow close up with the men,
Mr Roberts. No, not next; I'll have May behind me; he's big and
strong, and he's something to depend upon if we have a sudden attack."

Roberts winced and frowned, for he felt as if his dignity had been a
little touched at being put aside to make way for the big sailor, and in
addition the chief officer had spoken in a way which made matters take a
different turn from what he had expected.

If any one had asserted that he was a bit jealous and envious of his
brother middy he would have denied it with indignation, but all the same
there was a something near akin to envy somewhere in his breast, and he
would have liked it a great deal better if he had been called upon to
play several of the parts which somehow would fall to Murray's share.

So Dick Roberts frowned as he grasped the clumsy cutlass that had been
handed to him by one of the men, and then after four of the par