he brig afloat. What do
you say, Andrew?"

"I hope we may," I answered, "as she has not struck very hard."

"Had not you and Bella better go below, Kate, with Miss Rowley, and Leo
and Natty will attend on you! We men must remain on deck to do what is
necessary should any fresh emergency arise."

Kate begged to remain also, but David, and the Rowleys joining him,
persuaded the young ladies at length to retire to the cabin. Timbo
followed them to light the cabin lamp, and I saw them, as I looked
through the skylight, seated at the table, Kate having a large book
before her, which I recognised as the old captain's Bible. She was
reading from it to her companions, the two boys and Bella listening with
earnest looks, though Miss Rowley seemed to be too much alarmed to pay
any attention. The young Irishman and the two Rowleys now exerted
themselves as much as the rest of us in making preparations to defend
the vessel.

"If there were boarding-nettings, we should find them useful," said
Stanley. "Mr Kydd, have you any on board?"

"No, sir," was the answer. "We do not carry such things; and, for my
part, I think all this preparation is useless. The blacks are not
likely to come off to attack us, and if they do, we could very soon
drive them back again."

"If we are properly prepared we may," said my cousin; and we all
continued the work we had in hand.

Besides the firearms we had a few ship's cutlasses; and at Timbo's
suggestion we fastened all the knives and axes we could find to some
long spars, to use them as boarding-pikes. We ran lines also along the
sides between the rigging to answer in a measure the purpose of
boarding-nettings; and before the morning broke, we were as well
prepared as we could expect to be to resist an attack. We were looking
out for the rising sun, when I felt a light wind fan my cheek. I said
nothing, but again I felt it blow stronger.

"We shall have the wind off the shore soon," I cried out, "and we must
be ready to trim sails to make the most of it."

"Who is issuing orders on board this vessel?" I heard Kydd exclaim.
"Mr Crawford, I am the man to say what is to be done."

"If you will tell us what to do, we will take good care to do it,"
Stanley said to me, in a low voice. "There is little use in listening
to that fellow."

The breeze came stronger and stronger; and by the time the first streaks
of early dawn appeared over the land, there was a strongish breeze
blowin