12 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



Navy were exerted against the slave-trade. His remi- 

 niscences of this revolting business furnished matter for 

 many exciting stories, of which " A Night on an 

 African Cruiser " is a fair example. 



"We were cruising off the mouth of the Congo, looking 

 out for slavers, and as a pleasant change, in the middle of 

 the rainy season, the night was starlight. The cheering 

 cry of ' Sail ho ! ' aroused the slumbering watch of H. M. 

 Brig ^ Pantaloon,' of which I was first officer, and dispelled 

 my half-waking dreams. Sending word to the captain, 

 I made all sail on the ship, and in a few minutes our 

 spars were covered with canvas and the brig gliding 

 through the smooth water before the land-wind which 

 had just sprung up. 



" Our men clustered forward eagerly trying to discover 

 the chase, which as yet was visible to no eyes except 

 those of the Krooman at the masthead who had first 

 reported the strange sail. As a colored man's power of 

 vision is generally superior at night to that of a white 

 man, the suspense was endured for nearly a quarter of 

 an hour, when the good faith of the lookout was verified, 

 the strange sail being plainly visible from deck on the 

 line of the horizon, and the distance between the ' Panta- 

 loon ' and her prey rapidly lessening. 



" ' Clear away the gun forward, and give her a blank 

 cartridge ! ' was an order obeyed as soon as given. The 

 long thirty-two pounder bellowed forth, and the flash 

 lit up for a moment the excited faces grouped around. 



