these
two fellows in.--Well done!"

He said this breathlessly as he stood up and gave himself a shake, and
then as the two men who had held on went to their places, he resumed his
seat and looked round.

"Who's missing?" he cried.

"All here, sir, 'cept poor Joe Dance. I ain't seen him."

"Ain't looked," said a faint voice from under the men's legs. "They
chucked me over, and I'm afeard I've squashed poor Mr Russell, for I
come right down upon him."

"Then nobody's missing," cried Mark, joyously. "Look here, my lads;
oars out--pull! pull!"

The men obeyed as vigorously as they could, rowing back toward the
schooner, but slowly, for the tide was running sharply still, and the
fight was hard.

"What yer going to do, sir?" said Tom Fillot, in a low tone.

"Do?" cried Mark, excitedly, for his blood was regularly up; "why, have
another try, of course."

"Well done us!" said Dick Bannock, thickly. "I'm ready. We ain't
beat."

"No good, sir," growled Tom Fillot, in a low, deep voice. "We ain't
beat, but we can't do it, sir, for want o' strength."

"What?" cried Mark, who was determined upon his mad project--mad now in
the face of so many difficulties. "There isn't a man here who will not
follow me, and I'm sure you won't turn tail, Tom Fillot."

"Not me, sir," said the man; "you're orficer, and where you goes I
follows. It's hard lines to let go of a prize like that. Lay her close
alongside, sir?"

"Yes, of course," cried Mark, standing up as they began to near the
schooner once more. "Why, there's something the matter on board--
they're fighting--they're killing the blacks. Here, pull, men, pull.
Quick! Don't you see? The blacks have got loose, and are fighting for
their liberty; pull!"

The men forgot their pains and weakness once more as a fierce yelling,
shouting, and shrieking arose from the deck of the schooner. Then shots
were fired, and as the boat approached, now unobserved, they could see
that the crew were driving back quite a little crowd of naked blacks,
who seemed helpless before the attack of the armed men, but still in
their desperation they gave way slowly, uttering fierce cries of rage
and despair.

It was all plain in the bright moonlight which flooded the scene, and
Mark could see the slaver captain making a rush here and a rush there,
and at each effort he struck down some poor wretch with a heavy bludgeon
he wielded with terrible force.

Then, as the boat glided in clo