"Good," said Mr. Hume, with a great grunt of satisfaction, as he swept his eyes over the river.
"See those dark spots ahead? They must be the first of the thousand islands that stretch away right up to the Loanda river. If we can get into them we are safe."
"Can I help?" asked Venning, having set out the rifles in the well, with the ammunition handy.
"Whistle for a wind. That's all. Fix your eyes on the islands,
Compton, and slip in where they are thickest."
"Ay, ay," muttered Compton, frowning under the stress of his excitement.
Venning searched for the field-glasses, and as the island they had passed sank low astern, he swept the river for sign of the pursuing launch.
"By Jove!" he muttered, with a start.
"Well?"
"She has shifted her course. I can see the white of her hull right under the trees on the south bank."
"She must have gained a lot, then," grunted Mr. Hume, "if you can see her hull."