e flew, while the big raft followed close
astern,--those on it uttering the most fearful oaths and execrations as
they found themselves disappointed in their project of seizing us. Our
light raft went over the water far more rapidly than theirs, and we soon
distanced them; but for long their shrieks and cries sounded in our
ears.

"I thought, sir, that they intended treachery," observed Jose to me;
"and we may be thankful that we escaped them." I agreed with him; at
the same time, having escaped, we had the satisfactory reflection that
we would have done our best to have rendered them assistance, and that
we could not blame ourselves for deserting our fellow-creatures. What
would now be their fate, it was not difficult to say. They might
possibly reach the shore; but the large raft, hurriedly put together,
was but ill calculated to resist the now fast rising sea, and we could
not but fear that many of the unfortunate wretches would speedily be
washed off it. Our little raft was tolerably strong, but the way the
pieces of which it was constructed worked, gave us a notion what would
be the fate of theirs.

We were tossed fearfully about, and had to run now to one side, now to
the other, to balance it as it was lifted by the seas. Boxall kept his
seat on a cask, endeavouring to steer it, but he had at length to call
me to his assistance, while Ben helped Jose. On and on we flew. As the
clouds gathered in the sky the night grew darker and darker, and we soon
lost sight of the large raft, while the voices of those on it no longer
reached our ears. I asked Boxall what he thought would happen to the
miserable people.

"Too probably they have been washed off the raft, or it has been
capsized, by this time," he answered. "I confess, I do not like to
think of what must have been their fate."

Our thoughts were now turned towards what might happen to ourselves. We
had no means of judging how far off we were from the coast, but I
calculated that, as we had not seen it, we could not be within fifteen
miles or so of it--an opinion which I expressed to Boxall.

"You forget that, low down as we are in the water, our horizon is very
circumscribed; while for miles together, on this part of the African
coast, the sandy shore rises but a few feet above the level of the sea,"
he answered. "It may therefore be much nearer, than we suppose. We
must, at all events, keep a good look-out; although, with the wind
blowing strong