Do you happen to know where he is, or what he's doing ?" "Not I.No doubt he is playing some sly game with this British cruiser, and I dare say he may be lending a hand to the settlers; for he's got some strange interests to look after there, you know" (here both men laughed), "and I shouldn't wonder if he was beforehand with us in pitching into the niggers.

He is always ready enough to fight in self-defense, though we can never get him screwed up to the assaulting point." "Aye, we saw something of the fighting from the hilltops; but as it is no business of ours, I brought the men down, in case they might be wanted aboard." "Quite right, Scraggs.

You're a judicious fellow to send on a dangerous expedition.

I'm not sure, however, that Gascoyne would thank you for leaving him to fight the savages alone." Manton chuckled as he said this, and Scraggs grinned maliciously as he replied: "Well, it can't exactly be said that I've _left_ him, seeing that I have not been with him since we parted aboard of this schooner; and as to his fightin' the niggers alone, hasn't he got ever so many hundred _Christian_ niggers to help him to lick the others ?" "True," said Manton, while a smile of contempt curled his lip.

"But here comes the breeze, and the sun wont be long behind it.