e it for granted that he had put in there, and would come and
look for him.

It was too late that evening to communicate with the authorities;
several boats, however, came alongside, though as no officer appeared
among the people in them, Adair would not allow any one to come on
board, with the exception of an official who was sent, he said, by the
captain of the port to make inquiries about the vessel. At last all the
boats took their departure. There was no moon, though the stars shone
forth brightly overhead, reflected on the calm surface of the water. It
was rather dark all around where the brig lay; here and there only,
distant lights glimmering from the shore. The watch, of which Ben
Snatchblock had charge, was set, and Adair and Desmond retired into a
small cabin on one side of the deck to take supper.

"Well, I hope these poor fellows may be sent back safely to their
homes," said Desmond. "I am afraid a good many more will die before
they get there, if they are not placed in some healthy spot and allowed
to take exercise first."

"Not one of them will ever get back to their homes," answered Terence.
"They are all brought some hundreds of miles from the interior, and
would be quickly seized and carried back into slavery were the attempt
to be made. They will be sent to Sierra Leone, or some of them may find
their way to Liberia, a colony established some years ago for liberated
blacks from the North American States."

Adair was giving Desmond further information on the subject when Pedro
put his head in at the door.

"Senhor Capitan, I want to have one word with you," he said, putting his
finger to his mouth. "You be on the watch; I heard things said by the
people in de boats, and I make sure they come off and take all de slaves
away, and knock you and your people on de head. Hist! hist! Don't let
my comrades know I tell you, or dey cut my troat as sure as I now a
living man. No time to lose."

Adair asked Pedro further questions, but he could elicit no more
information. Pedro was evidently in a hurry to be gone, and again
making a sign to show that caution was necessary he stole forward,
keeping close under the bulwarks, as if afraid of being observed.

"The information Pedro has given us must not be neglected," observed
Adair. "He may be mistaken, but if the Brazilians think that they can
get hold of the slaves they will try to do so without scruple, and will
cut the throats of every one of