78 THE AFRICAN TRADER.

Dark clouds had been gathering around, and
the wavelets began to play over the hitherto calm
ocean, Although as yet there was not much wind,
the sails were trimmed, and, by the captain’s orders,
the vessel was put on a north-west course. I
concluded, consequently, that he at all events in-
tended touching at Sierra Leone, to obtain a mate
and some white hands. The wind, however, rapidly
increased, sail was taken in, and before long it was
blowing a perfect hurricane. This made the poor
captain more anxious than ever to get on deck, but
when he attempted to move he found that he had
not strength even to sit up. The wind howled
and whistled, the vessel tumbled fearfully about,
and the seas, which rose up in foaming masses,
frequently broke on board, deluging her deck,

Thad gone down to the captain, who had di-
rected me to visit him every quarter of an hour to
let him know how things were going on, when, as
I entered the cabin, I discovered a strong smell of
burning, and directly afterwards I saw thin wreaths
of black smoke making their way through the for-
ward bulk-head. The dreadful conviction came
upon me that the vessel was on fire. I sprang on
deck, and calling the boatswain and Paul, I told