on board the
_Virginia_, was now almost empty, and shifted my few traps forthwith
into the cabin recently vacated by Smellie, scarcely knowing meanwhile
whether I was standing upon my head or my heels.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE CUTTERS BESET.

On the following morning Captain Dubosc and Lieutenant Le Breton (we now
discovered that the _Virginia's_ people had assumed the names of the
officers of the _Vestale_ in addition to appropriating the name of the
ship) came on board the _Daphne_ to breakfast; Armitage and old Mildmay
being invited to meet them.

The meal appeared to be a protracted one, for it was served punctually
at eight o'clock and the participants did not appear on deck until half-
past ten. The secret, however, soon came out, for when they did at
length put in an appearance it became perfectly evident, from sundry
disjointed remarks which passed between them, that something of
importance was on the _tapis_. The Frenchmen's gig was awaiting them,
and they soon passed down over the side, Captain Dubosc's last words
being:

"Well, then, _mon ami_, it is all settled, and our contingent shall be
ready for a start punctually at two o'clock _Au revoir_."

I was not left long in ignorance of the precise nature of the
arrangement which had just been concluded, for as soon as the French gig
was fairly away from our vessel's side, Captain Vernon beckoned me to
him and said:

"Just step down below with me, Hawkesley; I want to have a talk with
you."

I followed him down into his cabin, whereupon he directed me to be
seated, drew a chair up to the table for himself, and laying his hand
upon a bundle of papers, said:

"These are some of the papers which I discovered the night before last
on board the _Virginia_; and as I anticipated would be the case, they
contain several items of exceedingly important information. One of
these items has reference to the existence, on an island some forty
miles up the river, of an immense slave depot, as also of a slave hulk,
in both of which, if the information here given happens to be reliable,
a large number of slaves are at this moment awaiting embarkation. The
papers seem also to imply that there is a very snug anchorage close to
this island, with a navigable channel leading right up to it.

"Now I am exceedingly anxious, for many reasons, to test the truth of
this information, and I have therefore arranged with Captain Dubosc to
send a joint expedition up the ri