heaving
continuously as it does along this long unbroken African coast, and very
soon she lay to, a couple of miles or more from the beach.

"We'll have the lines out and do a little fishing," sang out Dick. "Any
one who likes may sleep, save the man on guard. Johnnie, you'll need to
bank the fires, for we shall want steam later."

A canvas awning had been rigged over the deck of the launch, for the
heat would otherwise have been almost unbearable. And beneath this the
two young officers and their crew stretched themselves at their ease,
while each dropped a line overboard, for they had been careful to bring
these in case their provisions should run short.

Some four hours later, just as the day began to draw in, they pulled up
their lines and headed for Elmina. It was dark when they arrived off
the fort, and they steamed into the river at once, passing beneath the
bridge erected by the Dutch. Not a sound was heard aboard. The engines
were working dead slow, while a screen of sacks surrounded the funnel,
hiding any sparks which might have betrayed the presence of the launch.
In the bows stood two of the bluejackets, with long poles in their
hands, and presently, as the launch passed beyond the town into the
river, they stretched these ahead as far as possible, letting the tips
trail in the water.

"Take her along dead slow," whispered Dick in Johnnie's ear. "There are
plenty of sand and mud banks, and we don't want to get stranded. Ah!
that must be one."

Without the slightest warning, the launch came sweetly to a stop,
burying her nose in a bank of mud which cropped up in the middle of the
river. Even the men who held the poles had not been able to detect the
obstruction in time, for their rods simply pierced the soft material.
And now, when they attempted to push the launch off, the same thing
happened.

"All walk aft," said Dick. "Now, Johnnie, reverse the engines, and give
her more steam. When I whistle let every man give a jump into the air."

His orders were given in the lowest tones, and were carried out without
confusion, for the British sailor hates fuss and flurry, and can be
relied on to act well and discreetly in an emergency. All gathered aft,
and as Dick whistled they jumped into the air, shaking the launch as
they came to the deck again. But still she clung to her cradle of mud.

"Then some of us must get overboard. What is the depth?" asked Dick.

In the silence he could hear the