e to warn the captain and first mate. I doubt, indeed,
whether they will believe your statement. However, we must take our own
measures according to circumstances."

Mr Henley said that he would not turn in, but would go on deck, and get
Spratt and some few of the other men in whom he had confidence, as well
as some of the passengers, to appear with him, and thus to make the
conspirators fancy that their plans were well known. His measures had a
good effect, for Spratt told him that all the men had taken off their
clothes, and gone quietly to their berths, showing that they had no
thoughts of putting their scheme into execution that night.

"Forewarned, forearmed," observed Mr Henley; "it will be our own fault
if they overpower us."

Thus we continued on our course, no longer benefiting by the
trade-winds, but having frequently to encounter the light and baffling
breezes to be met with off the African coast, and now and then to
contend with the heavy black squalls of those regions, which more than
once carried away some of our spars and blew our lighter sails out of
the bolt ropes. By keeping in with the African coast, we had a strong
current in our favour, which helped us along materially, at the same
time that we were exposed to the risk of a westerly gale, which might
send us helplessly on shore. With careful navigation there would have
been little danger of this, but unhappily, with the exception of Mr
Henley, not one of the officers could be depended on. Some of my
readers may be astonished at hearing of a ship sailing from the port of
London, towards the middle of the nineteenth century, being in the
condition in which I describe the _Orion_ but if they will look at the
newspapers they will see not once, but frequently, accounts of
circumstances occurring on board ships both from London and Liverpool,
and other parts, fully as bad as those of which I was a witness.

It surprised me often to see how calm and collected Mr Henley could
keep, knowing as he did the dangers with which we were surrounded. He
was constantly observing the compass, and several times he got the chart
of the African coast, and examined it in his own cabin. He told me also
one morning to tend the chronometer for him, while he made a set of
observations with the sextant to ascertain our exact longitude. When he
had worked them out, his countenance assumed a graver aspect than I had
ever before seen it wear.

"We are far more to th