others raised a feeble shout, and declared that
she was standing close hauled towards them. How eagerly they watched
her, till their anxiety became painful in the extreme. Some shouted,
"We shall be saved, we shall be saved;" but others moaned out, "No, no,
she'll not see us, she will pass us." Hemming stood up, watching the
approaching vessel. He said nothing. He was not certain that she would
near them. One hour of intense anxiety passed. There was very little
wind. Another hour glided on.

"Yes, my lads, she is undoubtedly standing this way," cried Hemming.
"But--" and he stopped. "She may be a slaver, and if so, I know not
whether we should be better off than we now are."

"Surely, bad as they may be, they would not leave us," said Jack.

"Don't let us be too sure of that. There is nothing too bad for slavers
to do," observed Hemming; "however, let us hope for the best."

The stranger approached. She had very square yards, very white canvas,
and a black hull. If she was not a slaver, she looked very like one.
Still, even if they had wished it, they could not have avoided her. On
she came. Her course would have taken her somewhat wide of the raft.
It was not seen apparently. Then suddenly her course was altered. Some
one on board had made them out. The brig stood towards them. When she
was scarcely more than half a mile off, it fell a dead calm. A boat was
lowered.

"Those fellows pull in man-of-war's style," observed Hemming. "Grant
she may be an English cruiser: but I fear not."

The almost dying seamen endeavoured to cheer, but their weak voices were
scarcely heard over the waters. The boat dashed towards them. They
could hear the officer in her speaking to his men. It was in Spanish.

"Then they are slavers, after all," cried Jack, with a sigh.

He had taken a great antipathy to slavers. To an Englishman no class of
men are more hateful. The boat came alongside. The people in her
regarded them with looks of commiseration. Well they might have done
so; for more wretched-looking beings could scarcely have been seen. Two
of them stepped on board the raft, to which they secured a rope, and
began towing it towards the brig. Neither Hemming nor any of his
companions could speak Spanish, so they asked no questions. They were
soon alongside the brig, and were handed up on deck. They felt sure
that they were going on board a slaver or perhaps a pirate; but what was
their surprise to