56 CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



sailing, she \^'as at first supposed to be a ship of war ; 

 ])ut on approaching us she hoisted Enghsh merchant colours, 

 and keeping half-gun shot to windward, we w^ere unable to 

 speak her ; nor did she seem to have any desire to com- 

 municate with us. This circumstance, together with 

 her apparent force and preparation for defence, having 18 

 guns run out of her between-deck ports, with the tompious 

 out, left litde doubt of her being employed in a forced and 

 illicit slave trade. Her anchor a-cock-bill, and her tacking 

 with the variations of the wind, proved her to be working 

 alono- shore to the south. 



The land and sea breezes, though now more regular as to 

 time, (the former setting in about four in the morning 

 from N.E. to S.E., and the latter from two to four in the 

 evening from S. W.) were so faint and of so short duration, 

 that neither afforded us a run of more than ten miles, Avhile 

 the current setting one mile an hour to the north, we re- 

 mained in sight of Ma>'Umba bay until the 24th, anchoring 

 whenever we found we lost ground. 



The land to the north of this baj' presents an undulating 

 line. Cape Mayumba being the highest point, and forming 

 a little hummock. Point Matooly, the south point of the 

 bay, also forming a hummock, descending gradually to the 

 south into a hue of low even land. Tlie bight of the bay 



