The night was far spent when another of these visits was paid, and as
the coxswain hooked on alongside of the lugger the American leaned over
to speak to the lieutenant, but turned first to Murray. "Well, young
mister," he said; "sleepy?"

"No, not at all," was the reply. "Good boy; that's right; but if your
skipper hadn't been so tarnation 'spicious yew might have had a good
snooze. Wall, lieutenant, I was just waiting to see you, and I didn't
want to hail for fear our slave-hunting friend might be on his deck and
hear us. Talk about your skipper being 'spicious, he's nothing to him.
The way in which the sound of a shout travels along the top of the water
here's just wonderful, and my hail might spyle the hull business."

"But we're not so near as that?" asked the lieutenant.

"Ain't we? But we jest are! See that there bit of a glimpse of the
mountains straight below the moon?"

"Yes," said the lieutenant; "but I should have taken it for a cloud if
you had not spoken."

"That's it," said the skipper; "that's where the river winds round at
the foot, and the quieter yewr people keep now the better. Oh yes, yewr
skipper has knocked all my calc'lations on the head, I can tell yew.
That there sloop sails A1, and she's done much more than I 'spected."

"I'm glad of it," said the lieutenant, while Murray's spirits rose.

"So'm I," said the man, with a chuckle; "and now it's turned out all
right I don't mind 'fessing."

"Confessing! What about?"

"Why, this here," said the man. "Your skipper had wasted so much time
with his soundings and messing about that I says to myself that if I
tried to see the business out our Portygee friend would see me mixed up
with it all and take the alarm. Yewr sloop wouldn't get near him, for
he'd run right up the river where you couldn't follow, and he'd wait his
time till you'd gone away, and then come down upon me as an informer.
D'you know what that would mean for me then?"

"Not exactly," replied the lieutenant, "but I can guess."

"Zackly," said the man, and he turned sharply upon Murray and made a
significant gesture with one finger across his throat.

"Look here," said the lieutenant, "don't talk so much, my friend."

"That's just what I want yew to go and tell your skipper, mister. Tell
him to give orders that his men are not to say a word above a whisper,
for if it's ketched aboard the schooner our friend will be off."

"I will tell him," said the lieutenant;