id to begin, the
stream here being about three and a half miles across, while immediately
below it abruptly widens to a breadth of about five and a half miles at
the indentation leading to Banana Creek, in the narrow approach to which
we were lying at anchor. Of course it was not possible for us to
distinguish, from where we were lying, much of the character of the
country on the southern or left bank of the river, but it appeared to be
pretty much the same as what we saw around us; that is to say, low land
densely covered with bush and trees along the river margin, with higher
land beyond. About half-a-mile beyond us, broad on our starboard bow as
we were then lying, the anchorage narrowed down to a width of less than
half-a-mile, the western extremity of the group of islands already
referred to there converging toward Banana Peninsula in a low,
mangrove-wooded point. Beyond this, however, could be seen a stretch of
water about a mile and a half wide, which I subsequently learned ran for
several miles up at the back of the islands, between them and the
mainland, in the form of a narrow, shallow, canal-like creek that Bates,
the master, seemed to think might well repay the trouble of careful
inspection, since the narrow maze of channels to which it gave access
offered exceptional facilities for the embarkation of slaves, and a
choice of routes for the light-draught slavers from their places of
concealment into the main channel of the river.

CHAPTER TWO.

WE RECEIVE SOME IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE.

We had barely got our canvas furled and the decks cleared when we saw a
fine, handsome whale-boat, painted white, with a canvas awning spread
over her stern-sheets, and the Portuguese flag fluttering from a little
staff at her stern, shove off from the wharf and pull toward us. She
was manned by four Krumen, and in the stern-sheets sat a tall, swarthy
man, whose white drill suit and white, broad-brimmed Panama hat, swathed
with a white puggaree, caused his suntanned face and hands to appear
almost as black as the skins of his negro crew. The boat swept up to
our gangway in very dashing style, and her owner, ascending the
accommodation ladder, stepped in on deck with a genial smile that
disclosed a splendid set of brilliantly white teeth beneath his heavy,
glossy black moustache.

"Good-morning, sar," said he to the first lieutenant, who met him at the
gangway. "Velcome to Banana," with a flourish of his hat. "Vat