“Has not that ship her nettings triced to the rigging?” he demanded, in a voice that was lowered to the tones necessary to escape observation, and which betrayed, at the same time, the interest he took in the reply.

“According to my sight, she has,” returned Fid; “your slavers are a little pricked by conscience, and are never over-bold, unless when they are chasing a young nigger on the coast of Congo.  Now, there is about as much danger of a Frenchman’s looking in here to-night, with this land breeze and clear sky, as there is of my being made Lord High Admiral of England; a thing not likely to come to pass soon, seeing that the King don’t know a great deal of my merit.”

“They are, to a certainty, ready to give a warm reception to any boarders!” continued Wilder, who rarely paid much attention to the amplifications with which Fid so often saw fit to embellish the discourse.  “It would be no easy matter to carry a ship thus prepared, if her people were true to themselves.”

“I warrant ye there is a full quarter-watch at least sleeping among her guns, at this very moment, with a bright look-out from her cat-heads and taffrail.  I was once on the weather fore-yard-arm of the Hebe, when I made, hereaway to the south-west, a sail coming large upon us,”—­

“Hist! they are stirring on her decks!”

“To be sure they are.  The cook is splitting a log; the captain has sung out for his night-cap.”

The voice of Fid was lost in a summons from the ship, that sounded like the roaring of some sea monster which had unexpectedly raised its head above the water.  The practised ears of our adventurers instantly comprehended it to be, what it truly was, the manner in which it was not unusual to hail a boat.  Without taking time to ascertain that the plashing of oars was to be heard in the distance.  Wilder raised his form in the skiff, and answered.

“How now?” exclaimed the same strange voice; “there is no one victualled aboard here that speaks thus.  Whereaway are you, he that answers?”

“A little on your larboard bow; here, in the shadow of the ship.”

“And what are ye about, within the sweep of my hawse?”

“Cutting the waves with my taffrail,” returned Wilder, after a moment’s hesitation.

“What fool has broke adrift here!” muttered his interrogator.  “Pass a blunderbuss forward, and let us see if a civil answer can’t be drawn from the fellow.”

“Hold!” said a calm but authoritative voice from the most distant part of the ship; “it is as it should be, let them approach.”

The man in the bows of the vessel bade them come along side, and then the conversation ceased.  Wilder had now an opportunity to discover, that, as the hail had been intended for another boat, which was still at a distance, he had answered prematurely.  But, perceiving that it was too late to retreat with safety, or perhaps only acting in conformity to his original determination, he directed his companions to obey.