themselves further
about him. He had no inclination to sleep even after it grew dark. He
listened to the various noises in the village, or rather city it should
be called. They amused him somewhat--the odd tones of the negroes'
voices, the shouts, the laughter, the cries of babies, the barking of
curs, the beating of tom-toms. At last, however, even they ceased, and
he dozed away till he forgot where he was and everything that had
happened. How long he had slept he could not tell; or rather, had he
been asked he would have asserted that he had not been asleep at all,
when he opened his eyes and saw by the light of the moon, which shone
through a hole in the roof, the round face of a black boy looking down
upon him with a friendly and compassionate expression.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

IN SEARCH OF JACK.

Three of the _Archer's_ boats were manned, and under the command of
Lieutenant Hemming, Murray having charge of one and Adair of the other,
were about to shove off and proceed up the river to search for their
missing shipmates, when a sail was seen from the mast-head standing down
toward them. She was quickly made out to be a large ship, and in a
short time little doubt remained that she was an English frigate.
Captain Grant, therefore, ordered the boats to delay their departure
that a more powerful expedition might be forthwith despatched to compete
with any enemies with whom they might fall in. "Hurrah! she's our own
ship the _Ranger_," exclaimed Adair, who had gone aloft to have a look
at the stranger, and now came below to make his report to Hemming;
"Captain Lascelles is just the man to back up Captain Grant; if he knows
of any barracoons or slavers' strongholds of any description, he will be
for going in and blowing them all up without a moment's delay."

To prove that Adair was right, the _Ranger_ soon after made her number,
and at the same time another sail appeared to the northward. She turned
out to be a brig-of-war, the _Wasp_. Captain Grant immediately went on
board the frigate. Captain Lascelles entered fully into his plan, and
instead of three, as soon as the _Wasp_ came up, fortunately ten boats
started on the expedition. Hemming was much gratified when Captain
Lascelles declined to supersede him, assuring him that no one was better
qualified to be entrusted with the command. There is always something
very exciting in an expedition, no matter what the object, but when
there is some uncertain