OFF FOR THE JUNGLE. 17 



'• Two hours passed thus, and the fury of the gale began 

 to abate, when with a simultaneous crash of thunder the 

 lightning struck our foremast. On reaching the deck, 

 the electric fluid was first attracted by the chain cable, 

 along which it ran hissing, until reaching the quarter- 

 deck it leaped with a loud report to the nearest gun, 

 flashing from gun to gun until it plunged into the sea 

 astern, — the old helmsman, as it passed, ducking his 

 head as he would to an enemy's shot. Happily no 

 one was seriously hurt, although some men standing 

 around the mast were partially stunned. The thunder 

 now ceased, and the wind fell. Quitting my station on 

 the forecastle I joined the officers on the quarter-deck, 

 where we congratulated ourselves that the elements had 

 done their worst, and speculated on the chances of the 

 morning light gladdening our eyes with a view of the lost 

 slaver. In all probability, however, she had either been 

 capsized or driven far beyond our reach. 



" In these southern latitudes no soft dawn intervenes 

 between the blackest night and glaring, broiling day. No 

 sooner did day break than all eyes were anxiously engaged 

 sweeping the horizon in hopes of encountering the lost 

 slaver. Fifty voices quickly exclaimed, ' There she is ! ' 

 and there, indeed, not two miles off, lay the luckless vessel 

 that even the tornado had failed to save. The sea was 

 calm ; not a ripple disturbed its glassy smoothness as it 

 heaved gently in the long, low ground-swell. It was evi- 

 dent to the crew of the slave-ship that no chance of escape 



