to seize one of the blacks and get
him on deck. Watching his opportunity, he stepped boldly forward to
where the crowd had shrunk back together, and again caught a man by the
arm.

"Now, Tom Fillot," he cried, "help me."

The sailor seconded him well, but the poor wretch, in an agony of fear,
made a desperate plunge, got free again; and at that moment, in alarm
about his young officer's safety, Mr Russell sternly ordered him to
come back on deck.

It was with a mingling of satisfaction and disinclination that the lad
obeyed; and as they stood about the open hatch, Mr Russell said,--"We
must give them time to find out that we are friends. This is my first
experience, in spite of all our chasing, Vandean, and it is worse than I
could have believed."

"Signal from the _Naughtylass_, sir," said Tom Fillot. "Yes; the
captain is getting anxious. Here, Vandean, go back in the boat, and
tell them the state of affairs."

"And leave you alone with these people? There must be fifty or a
hundred down below."

"I shall have four defenders with me," said the lieutenant, quietly,
"and you will be back soon with a reinforcement. We must get the poor
wretches on deck, out of that loathsome den, or they will half of them
be dead of fever in four and twenty hours."

"You wish me to go?" said Mark, hesitating.

"I order you to go, my lad," said the lieutenant, speaking sternly, but
with a friendly light in his eye. "There, off at once."

Mark passed over the side with half the boat's crew, and, feeling
extremely uneasy about his officer's fate, had himself rowed back, and
stated the case to the captain.

"Horrible!" he said. "Well, the men must be brought on board if the
schooner is a fixture. Take back ten men with you, and tell Mr Russell
to get out an anchor and see if he cannot haul off the vessel. If he
cannot, the slaves must be brought on board, and the schooner burned."

"But how are we to get the men out of the hold, sir? They are
frightened to death of us," said Mark.

"To be sure, yes. Try fair means, and if they do not answer, the poor
wretches must be hoisted on deck with ropes. They will soon grow
satisfied when they feel that we mean them no harm."

"But--I beg your pardon, sir," faltered Mark; "we cannot make them
understand that we are friends."

"May I speak, sir?" cried Bob Howlett.

"Silence, sir; don't interfere," said Mr Staples, sternly.

"Oh, you lucky beggar," whispered Bob; "you g