I lay, weak, sick, and with a most distracting headache, safe within
the shelter of the curtains. These curtains were suspended from a
polished brass rod that traversed the underside of the deck above close
to the ship's side, so that they sloped over the bunk tent-fashion, an
ingenious arrangement of frilling along the upper edge imparting a
sufficient stiffness to the flimsy material to cause it to stand up
close to the planking, thus leaving no opening by which the persevering
little insects could obtain access to the interior. The bulkhead was
panelled with pilasters of satin-wood supporting a handsomely-carved
cornice, and the panels, like the underside of the deck, were painted a
delicate cream colour, the former being decorated with a thin gilt
moulding which formed the framework of a series of beautifully-painted
pictures of tropical flowers, butterflies, and birds. There was a
polished mahogany wash-stand in one corner of the room, and a small
mahogany swing-table against the bulkhead between the bunk and the
closed door of the berth; a horsehair sofa ran along the ship's side,
opposite the doorway; a small lamp, apparently of silver, hung in
gimbals from the ship's side, near the head of the bunk, and the
apartment was amply lighted by a large round open port or scuttle,
through which the gentle sigh of the evening breeze came pleasantly, and
the rich, orange beams of the setting sun poured with so brilliant an
effulgence that I could scarcely endure the dazzling light, and was
obliged to close my eyes again.

Where was I? Certainly not on board the _Felicidad_; for she had no
such luxurious sleeping-accommodation as this on board her. Then, if
not on board her, I must most probably be on board the French schooner;
a surmise that was to some extent confirmed by the powerful effluvium
that pervaded the ship, and proclaimed her character beyond all
question. Then there were sounds on deck--the voices of men laughing
and jesting together, and addressing occasional brutal remarks to,
presumably, the wearers of certain chains, the clanking of which,
together with the sounds of boats or canoes coming alongside, and an
occasional order issued by some one nearly overhead, powerfully
suggested the idea that the craft, whatever she was, was now taking in
her human cargo. I soon recognised, however, that the orders and
conversation generally were in Spanish, not French; still, this proved
nothing, for slavers wer