u drunk for a week; at
least, you will then be ready to pilot another of her Majesty's ships up
the river, if one of them ever comes this way.'

"As we could now sail or drift on all day by sending the boats ahead
occasionally to tow us off the trees, we made good progress, and soon
reached the mouth of the river.

"Though our trip was not destitute of interest, I can only hope that I
shall never be sent up the Orinoco again."

Terence thanked Jack for this description of his trip when they next
met, which they did off Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana, at
the mouth of the Demerara river. Its gaily painted wooden houses, with
broad verandahs, raised on supports some feet above the ground, its
canals and dykes, and numerous windmills, might make it easily mistaken
for a Dutch town, were it not for the tall palm-trees which rise in its
midst and the rich tropical scenery around. Here the corvette and brig
remained for some days, and then sailed to join the squadron ordered to
rendezvous at Rio.

A bright lookout was kept for slavers, which, notwithstanding the treaty
lately made by the Brazilian Government with England, were known to
swarm on the coast; the local authorities, like those of Havannah,
encouraging the nefarious traffic, which put thousands of dollars into
their purses.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE CORVETTE AND BRIG PART COMPANY--THE FORMER CHASES A SUSPICIOUS
SAIL--CAPTURES A FULL SLAVER--ADAIR IN CHARGE--TAKES PRIZE TO BAHIA--AN
IMPORTANT WARNING--PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK--ANECDOTE OF LIEUTENANT
WASEY--THE SLAVE-DEALERS ATTEMPT TO RETAKE THE PRIZE--GALLANT DEFENCE--
ENEMY DEFEATED--THE SUPPLEJACK APPEARS IN GOOD TIME.

The _Tudor_ and _Supplejack_ had crossed the line, and had got some way
to the southward, when a heavy gale came on, such as is not often
experienced in those latitudes. It blew with especial fury during the
night. Murray hove the corvette to, and believed that Jack would have
done the same, but when morning broke, and the brig was nowhere to be
seen from the deck of the corvette, he could not help feeling somewhat
anxious on the subject. During the day the weather moderated, and a
lookout was kept for her from aloft. Two days passed, however, and she
did not appear. The wind was from the north-east, and he hoped by a
quick run to Rio to have his anxiety soon brought to an end by finding
that the _Supplejack_ had arrived before him.

Morning had just dawned, the breeze