The Pirate Slaver: A Story of the West African Coast

Matadi's "town" was situate, as Lobo had informed us, on the south bank of the stream, on the sloping side of a hill that rose rather steeply from the water's edge; the scenery...

It was just six bells in the afternoon watch when we at length arrived within a distance of about half-a-mile of the stranger, which had by this time been unmistakably made out...

Presently, after one of his frequent halts, Mendouca turned and gave orders to shorten sail. "Clew up and haul down fore and aft; stow everything except the main-staysail; and s...

The sun set that night in a broad bank of horizontal, mottled grey cloud, through which his beams darted in golden splendour at brief intervals for nearly half-an-hour after we...

There was very great delight manifested fore and aft when I was able to announce that it was a British man-o'-war that was bearing down upon us; for all hands felt, like myself,...

From this sleep I was aroused--in a few minutes, it seemed to me, although really it was nearly two hours later--by a boisterous banging upon the mess-table, followed by the voi...

The most striking figure in the ship, however, was, beyond all question, a tall, well-built man, with a firmly-knit, powerful frame, every movement of which was eloquent of heal...

At the distance which now separated us from the barque all the movements of her crew were distinctly visible to us with the aid of our glasses-- which of course were scarcely of...

The watch below had been dismissed upon the completion of our work of preparation, but not a man had left the deck, their anxiety to see and know the worst of what was to befall...

I could see that Mendouca was pretty thoroughly ashamed of himself, for despite his utmost efforts, there was a perceptible shrinking and embarrassment of manner apparent in him...

A sound of footsteps followed, suggesting that he had walked away forward to join his superior; but as the man at my feet just then stirred uneasily, as though his senses were r...

While Maxwell stole forward to get his wire, I crept up on the poop again, and carefully avoiding the skylight, so that my figure might not be revealed by the coloured rays that...

At this moment Simpson rejoined me, bringing with him three more of the _Bangalore's_ crew; and while I was talking to them the other two men-- those whom Simpson had previously...

"I wish I could tell you, sir," answered Young. "There has been foul play of some sort; but who is the guilty party I know no more than you do. As you will remember, it blew ver...

I continued to industriously scrutinise the brig through the night-glass, and, by so doing, contrived to keep Mendouca's attention also pretty closely centred upon her; but I co...

When I went on deck at midnight I found that there was no occasion to set the studding-sails, for the breeze had freshened to more than half a gale, and the little hooker was st...

"I have not made any mistake at all, senor," answered the man sulkily; "it is just as I have said; there are only provisions and water enough to last us, on a full allowance, te...

Upon arriving abreast the beach, which we were obliged to hug pretty closely in consequence of the contracted width of the channel and the fact that the deepest water lay close...

The cry arose from the look-out on the forecastle of her Britannic Majesty's 18-gun brig _Barracouta_, on a certain morning near the middle of the month of November, 1840; the v...

We had barely got our canvas furled and the decks cleared when we saw a fine, handsome whale-boat, painted white, with a canvas awning spread over her stern-sheets, and the Port...