eagerly.

The head fell on his shoulders, the hot tears deluged his hand.

"Dearest Isabel, speak!" he urged, as he passed his arm round her waist.

"I can--I will!" whispered the girl. "But, oh, for pity's sake be
silent now."

And he was silent, for his heart was full of sweet emotions, while
Isabel sobbed on, and the grey light grew more and more perceptible.

"And your father, Isabel?" at last asked her lover.

"He never denied me anything; my happiness is his; and here he comes."

Dom Maxara and the missionary at this moment entered the cabin. The
former had only just heard of his daughter's wound, and as it had been
exaggerated, his face, pale from loss of blood, showed great anxiety.
Rising, the girl threw herself into her father's arms.

"Oh, father, I am so happy!" she sobbed.

The old man's grey hair mixed with the dark tresses of his daughter, as
he bent over and soothed her, Wyzinski standing for a moment as if
astonished at the scene.

"Pardon me, Dom Maxara, you had better conduct the Dona Isabel to her
cabin, and I will dress the wound. It is but slight, and I am a bit of
a surgeon."

"I thank you, Senhor," replied the old Portuguese, again assuming all
the stateliness of manner which usually characterised him. "Come,
Isabel."

Isabel de Maxara turned, gave one look at her lover--a glance teeming
with gratitude and love, even though the eyes were running over with
tears, as she held out her hand. Hughes pressed it to his lips, and the
next moment she was gone.

"The Dona Isabel might have a cleaner lover," observed Wyzinski, after a
long silence.

It was the first time Captain Hughes had been conscious of his
dirt-begrimed, ragged condition; would he have risked the confession he
had made, had he been aware of it?

Volume 2, Chapter V.

THE DAY AFTER THE FIGHT.

The day was well advanced, and the fierce rays of the African sun were
pouring on the "Halcyon's" decks, as she lay at anchor in Saint
Augustine's Bay. On shore the parrots could be heard chattering and
screaming, the long cry of the peacock sounded from the woods, while on
board every sign of the late bloody fight had been removed. The
"Halcyon's" crew had been reduced by five deaths, and many of the men
were hardly able to work from the effects of weakness. Still everything
was going on well. The fore-topmast was in its place, the
main-topgallant-mast replaced, and the standing and running rigging
nearly finished.