t I'm telling
of yew."

"Then it's quite a big river?"

"Mighty big, sir."

"And the current?"

"None at all hardly, mister. Yew'll just ketch the night wind as blows
off the sea, and that'll take yew up as far as yew want to go. Then
morrow mornin' if yew're done all yew want to do yew'll have the land
wind to take yew out to sea again. Though I'm thinking that yew won't
be able to do all yew want in one day, for there's a lot of black folk
to deal with, and I wouldn't be in too great a hurry. Yew take my
advice, cyaptain; do it well while yew're about it, and yew won't
repent."

"Never fear, sir," said the captain sternly. "I shall do my work
thoroughly. Now then, back into your lugger and show us the way. Mr
Munday, take the second cutter and follow this American gentleman's
lead, and then stay alongside his boat while Mr Anderson comes back to
report to me in the first cutter. You both have your instructions.
Yes, Mr Roberts--Yes, Mr Murray," continued the captain, in response
to a couple of appealing looks; "you can accompany the two armed boats."

CHAPTER SIX.

INTO THE MIST.

Murray thought that the American screwed up his eyes in a peculiar way
when he found that the two boats were to go in advance of the sloop, but
he had no opportunity for telling Roberts what he believed he had seen,
while so busy a time followed and his attention was so much taken up
that it was not till long afterwards that he recalled what he had noted.

The American, upon rejoining his lugger, sailed away at once with the
two boats in close attendance and the sloop right behind, their pilot
keeping along the dingy mangrove-covered shore and about half-a-mile
distant, where no opening seemed visible; and so blank was the outlook
that the first lieutenant had turned to his young companion to say in an
angry whisper--

"I don't like this at all, Mr Murray." But the words were no sooner
out of his mouth than to the surprise of both there was a sudden
pressure upon the lugger's tiller, the little vessel swung round, and
her cut-water pointed at once for the densely wooded shore, so that she
glided along in a course diagonal to that which she had been pursuing.

"Why, what game is he playing now?" muttered the lieutenant. "There is
no opening here. Yes, there is," he added, the next minute. "No wonder
we passed it by. How curious! Ah, here comes the moon."

For as the great orb slowly rose and sent her horizont