Part 2 (1/2)

In a few minutes a spark leaped into a flame, wood was heaped on, and the flame speedily became a rousing fire, before which they dried their garments, while a pot of rice was put on to boil.

Scarcely had they proceeded thus far in their preparations, when two men, armed with muskets, were seen to approach, leading a negro girl between them. As they drew nearer, it was observable that the girl had a bra.s.s ring round her neck, to which a rope was attached.

”A slave!” exclaimed Disco vehemently, while the blood rushed to his face; ”let's set her free!”

The indignant seaman had half sprung to his legs before Harold seized and pulled him forcibly back.

”Be quiet man,” said Harold quickly. ”If we _could_ free her by fighting, I would help you, but we can't. Evidently we have got into a nest of slavers. Rashness will only bring about our own death. Be wise; bide your time, and we may live to do some good yet.”

He stopped abruptly, for the new comers had reached the top of the winding path that led to the hut.

A look of intense surprise overspread the faces of the two men when they entered and saw the Englishmen sitting comfortably by the fire, and both, as if by instinct threw forward the muzzles of their muskets.

”Oh! come in, come in, make your minds easy,” cried Disco, in a half-savage tone, despite the warning he had received; ”we're all _friends_ here--leastwise we can't help ourselves.”

Fortunately for our mariner the men did not understand him, and before they could make up their minds what to think of it, or how to act Harold rose, and, with a polite bow, invited them to enter.

”Do you understand English?” he asked.

A frown, and a decided shake of the head from both men, was the reply.

The poor negro girl cowered behind her keepers, as if she feared that violence were about to ensue.

Having tried French with a like result, Harold uttered the name, ”Yoosoof,” and pointed in the direction in which the trader had entered the woods.

The men looked intelligently at each other, and nodded.

Then Harold said ”Zanzibar,” and pointed in the direction in which he supposed that island lay.

Again the men glanced at each other, and nodded. Harold next said ”Boat--dhow,” and pointed towards the creek, which remark and sign were received as before.

”Good,” he continued, slapping himself on the chest, and pointing to his companion, ”_I_ go to Zanzibar, _he_ goes, _she_ goes,” (pointing to the girl), ”_you_ go, and Yoosoof goes--all in the dhow together to Zanzibar--to-night--when moon goes down. D'ee understand? Now then, come along and have some rice.”

He finished up by slapping one of the men on the shoulder, and lifting the kettle off the fire, for the rice had already been cooked and only wanted warming.

The men looked once again at each other, nodded, laughed, and sat down on a log beside the fire, opposite to the Englishmen.

They were evidently much perplexed by the situation, and, not knowing what to make of it, were disposed in the meantime to be friendly.

While they were busy with the rice, Disco gazed in silent wonder, and with intense pity, at the slave-girl, who sat a little to one side of her guardians on a mat, her small hands folded together resting on one knee, her head drooping, and her eyes cast down. The enthusiastic tar found it very difficult to restrain his feelings. He had heard, of course, more or less about African slavery from s.h.i.+pmates, but he had never read about it, and had never seriously given his thoughts to it, although his native sense of freedom, justice, and fair-play had roused a feeling of indignation in his breast whenever the subject chanced to be discussed by him and his mates. But now, for the first time in his life, suddenly and unexpectedly, he was brought face to face with slavery. No wonder that he was deeply moved.

”Why, Mister Seadrift,” he said, in the confidential tone of one who imparts a new discovery, ”I do honestly confess to 'ee that I think that's a _pretty_ girl!”

”I quite agree with you,” replied Harold, smiling.

”Ay, but I mean _really_ pretty, you know. I've always thought that all n.i.g.g.e.rs had ugly flat noses an' thick blubber lips. But look at that one: her lips are scarce a bit thicker than those of many a good-looking la.s.s in England, and they don't stick out at all, and her nose ain't flat a bit. It's quite as good as my Nancy's nose, an' that's sayin' a good deal, _I_ tell 'ee. Moreover, she ain't black--she's brown.”

It is but justice to Disco to say that he was right in his observations, and to explain that the various negro tribes in Africa differ very materially from each other; some of them, as we are told by Dr Livingstone, possessing little of what, in our eyes, seems the characteristic ugliness of the negro--such as thick lips, flat noses, protruding heels, etcetera,--but being in every sense handsome races of humanity.

The slave-girl whom Disco admired and pitied so much belonged to one of these tribes, and, as was afterwards ascertained, had been brought from the far interior. She appeared to be very young, nevertheless there was a settled expression of meek sorrow and suffering on her face; and though handsomely formed, she was extremely thin, no doubt from prolonged hards.h.i.+ps on the journey down to the coast.