ese town, near to which it was said
a party of runaway slaves and rebels against the Government were engaged
in making depredations.

When grey dawn was beginning to rise above the tree-tops, they left
their encampment in profound silence, and rowed up stream as swiftly as
possible. They had not advanced far, when, on turning a point covered
with tall reeds, Zombo, who was bowman in the leading canoe, suddenly
made a sign to the men to cease rowing.

"What's the matter?" whispered Harold.

The negro pointed through the reeds, and whispered the single word
"Canoe."

By this time the other canoe had ranged up alongside, and after a brief
consultation between Harold and Disco, it was decided that they should
push gently into the reeds, and wait till the strange canoe should pass;
but a few seconds sufficed to show that the two men who paddled it did
not intend to pass down the river, for they pushed straight out towards
the deepest part of the stream. They were, however, carried down so
swiftly by the current that they were brought quite near to the point of
rushes where our travellers lay concealed--so near that their voices
could be distinctly heard. They talked in Portuguese.

Antonio muttered a few words, and Harold observed that there was a good
deal of excitement in the looks of his men.

"What's the matter?" he asked anxiously.

Antonio shook his head. "Dat nigger goin' to be drownded," he said;
"bad nigger--obstropolous nigger, suppose."

"Wot!" exclaimed Disco in a whisper, "goin' to be drownded! wot d'ee
mean?"

Antonio proceeded to explain that it was a custom amongst the Portuguese
slave-owners there, when they found any of their slaves intractable or
refractory, to hire some individuals who, for a small sum, would bind
and carry off the incorrigible for the purpose of making away with him.
One method of effecting this was to tie him in a sack and throw him into
the river, the crocodiles making quite sure that the unfortunate being
should never again be seen, either alive or dead. But before Antonio
had finished his brief explanation he was interrupted by an exclamation
from the horrified Englishmen, as they beheld the two men in the canoe
raise something between them which for a moment appeared to struggle
violently.

"Shove off! give way!" shouted Harold and Disco in the same breath, each
thrusting with his paddle so vigorously that the two canoes shot out
like arrows into the stream.

At