ng of her was visible but a mass of white
sails, which were seen when the little vessel in which he was rose on
the summit of a wave, and were lost sight of as she again descended.
The short glance that he had given at the distant ship caused a heavy
log of wood to be hurled at him by the captain, who, pointing to his
bucket, indicated that he was to go on baling. Hans, believing that the
distant ship might be one which was in pursuit of the slaver, was so
anxious to watch her that he at once set to work baling vigorously,
fearing that if he did not do so, he might be sent down below, and
another slave liberated to take his place.

During an hour or more Hans remained near the stern of the vessel, and
continued his labours as well as the motion of the vessel would allow
him to do. In this interval the strange vessel astern had evidently
gained on the slaver, there being a taller mass of canvas visible than
when first Hans had noticed her. The captain of the slaver seemed to be
aware of this fact, and though the masts seemed to bend under the heavy
press of canvas on them, he yet sent some men aloft in order to get
another stern-sail on his vessel. This extra sail, small as it seemed
to be, yet added to the speed of the slaver, which now bounded over the
water like a fresh horse on the springy turf. During another hour Hans
could see no difference in the apparent distance of the chasing ship,
and he began to fear that this chance would fail him. Could he venture
to cut any of the many mysterious ropes that held the sails, he would,
he knew, temporarily stop or retard the vessel; but he knew not what to
cut, and he did not possess a knife, even had he known. Thus he was
helpless in this particular, and had to continue working, only resting
occasionally when an opportunity occurred of doing so.

Nearer and nearer the sun travelled towards the horizon, and yet the
pursuing vessel seemed scarcely to decrease her distance from the
slaver; and if night should come before the distance was decreased, it
would be very probable that the slaver might escape. Hans, although
totally unacquainted with nautical affairs, could yet see that such a
result was very possible, and therefore, as the afternoon passed on, his
hopes fell, and he became at length disheartened, especially when he
noticed that the distant ship had suddenly begun to increase instead of
decreasing her distance. It was some time before the cause of this
incr