the men to
put out the oars and give way, the sail being of little use.

In a few minutes the haze cleared sufficiently to prove that Midgley was
right. At the same time it revealed to those on board the dhow that
they were being chased by the boat of a man-of-war. The little wind
that blew at the time was insufficient to enable the dhow to weather a
point just ahead of her, and the cutter rowed down on her so fast that
it was evidently impossible for her to escape.

Seeing this, the commander of the dhow at once ran straight for the
shore. Before the boat could reach her she was among the breakers on
the bar, which were so terrible at that part of the coast as to render
landing in a small boat quite out of the question. In a few minutes the
dhow was hurled on the beach and began to break up, while her crew and
cargo of slaves swarmed into the sea and tried to gain the shore. It
seemed to those in the boat that some hundreds of negroes were
struggling at one time in the seething foam.

"We must risk it, and try to save some of the poor wretches," cried
Lindsay; "give way, lads, give way!"

The boat shot in amongst the breakers, and was struck by several seas in
succession, and nearly swamped ere it reached the shore. But they were
too late to save many of the drowning. Most of the strongest of the
slaves had gained the shore and taken to the hills in wild terror, under
the impression so carefully instilled into them by the Arabs, that the
only object the Englishmen had in view was to catch, cook, and eat them!
The rest were drowned, with the exception of two men and seven little
children, varying from five to eight years of age, who were found
crawling on the beach, in such a state of emaciation that they could not
follow their companions into the bush. They tried, however, in their
own feeble, helpless way, to avoid capture and the terrible fate which
they thought awaited them.

These were soon lifted tenderly into the boat.

"Here, Jackson," cried Lindsay, lifting one of the children in his
strong arms, and handing it to the sailor, "carry that one very
carefully, she seems to be almost gone. God help her, poor, poor
child!"

There was good cause for Lindsay's pity, for the little girl was so thin
that every bone in her body was sticking out--her elbow and knee-joints
being the largest parts of her shrunken limbs, and it was found that she
could not rise or even stretch herself out, in consequence, as