. "We'll promise to sleep as soundly
as we can until we are called in the morning."

"One good thing, we've not got to keep watch," observed Tom Tubbs; "and
I hope our black guards will keep a look-out for any snake, leopard, or
lion who may chance to poke his nose into the camp; although I wish that
Mr Pikehead had left us our arms to defend ourselves."

We were too tired to talk much, and I believe we all slept soundly until
morning, when we were roused up to breakfast and resume our march. It
was late in the day when we reached the village. Fortunately for us,
the owner of the house we had formerly occupied was still absent, and
the theft committed by the pirates was not discovered. Soon after we
arrived Captain Roderick made his appearance, a sardonic smile on his
countenance.

"You thought to escape me," he said. "You acted foolishly, and must
take the consequences. Had you been shot, your blood would have been on
your heads, not on mine. I intend to take good care that you shall not
play the same trick again. You will now come on board the `Vulture,'
and it is your own fault that you will not be treated with the same
leniency that you were before. My crew will see that I do not allow
such tricks to be played with impunity. Lash their hands behind them,
Pikehead, and bring them along."

The mate, with the aid of three seamen, immediately secured our hands
behind our backs, and we were led down, amid the hoots and derisive
laughter of the population, to the boat which conveyed us on board the
"Vulture." Having been allowed to stand for some minutes in that
condition exposed to the view of the crew, we were ordered down below.
As we passed near the main hatchway, we saw that the slave-deck was
already crowded with blacks, seated literally like herrings in a tub, as
close as they could be packed side by side, with shackles round their
necks and legs. Our destination was, however, lower down by the after
hatchway. As soon as we were below the deck, our arms were released,
and we were able to help ourselves down the narrow ladder which led into
the cable-tier. Here, in a space which allowed us room only to sit with
our knees together, without being able to stand up or walk about, the
mate told us we were to remain.

"You may consider yourselves very fortunate, my fine fellows, that worse
has not happened to you," he said. "How you'll like it if it comes on
to blow, and the hatches are battened down,