ty and danger, and a prospect of fighting,
everybody gets into the highest possible spirits. Murray and Adair
would have been in high spirits also had they not been anxious about
Jack. Not that they were very unhappy. They had all so often missed
each other, and been in difficulties and dangers, that they thought he
would turn up somewhere before long. The boats dashed over the bar, and
pulled up the south branch. As it was flood-tide they made rapid
progress. They had gone some way up when they saw some one on the bank
of the river beckoning to them. "A mere naked nigger," said Adair,
looking through his glass, "not worth waiting for him I should think."
Hemming seemed to be of the same opinion, for the boats continued their
progress. Seeing this the negro set off running as fast as he could go,
and was soon lost to sight in the jungle. Not long after they came to
the end of a reach, and then it appeared that the river doubled back as
it were on itself.

"Hillo, there is something in the water ahead of us," sang out Adair to
Murray.

"It is a negro swimming off to us. Do you see him, sir?" said Murray to
Hemming, whose boat was near his.

The negro lifted up his hand, as if trying to make a signal to them, and
wishing to be taken into one of the boats. Hemming told Murray to pull
towards the negro, and ascertain what he wanted. In a few minutes
Murray had hauled a young negro lad into his boat. "What is it you
want, my lad?" asked Alick, in his usual kind way. The poor negro
evidently wanted to speak, but could not find English words enough to
express himself, though he was very voluble when employing his own
language. No sooner, however, had Murray returned to the line of boats
and retaken his place near Hemming, than the black lad's countenance
brightened up. "Ah, Massa Hemming, Massa Hemming," he exclaimed, trying
to spring into the lieutenant's boat. He would in his eagerness have
jumped overboard, had not some of the seamen held him back.

"He seems to know you, sir," said Murray.

"Is, is--me know Massa Hemming; is, is, kind massa," exclaimed the young
negro, eagerly catching at the words.

"Let him come into my boat, and I'll hear what he has got to say," said
Hemming, greatly to the delight of the negro, who clearly understood
him. No sooner was the black lad on board Hemming's boat, than he
seized his hand and kissed it, and showed every mark of affection. Then
with evident eagerness