“That’s right, Mr Roberts,” said the lieutenant; “though I must give him the credit of saying that I am sure he never intended that attack. He has evidently such a loose rough lot of followers that they became out of control, and the result is that they have completely given their leader away and played into my hands.”
“Of course, sir. Nothing could excuse that attack.”
“Nothing, my lad. I am master here now, and I feel sure that we shall find more than I dared to expect. I believe now that this is a regular Western depot for slaves, and a find that will make up to Captain Kingsberry for all previous disappointments.”
“Glorious, sir!” cried Roberts. “But of course this Huggins can’t be the man we saw in the lugger off the African river.”
“Of course not, my lad; but he quite deceived me for the time. He is almost exactly the same in appearance, in voice, manner and speech, and the only way in which I can account for it is that both men are engaged in the same hideously brutal trade, and that has in time made them similar in habit.”
“There seems something in that, sir,” said Roberts thoughtfully.
“Seems, Roberts? Is,” said the lieutenant, smiling; “and you must add to it another point of resemblance: they are both Americans of the same degenerate type—little, thin, dark-haired, and speaking in the same tone of voice and in the same sneering contemptuous fashion. But of course if we had them both together we should see a strong difference. What are you looking at? See anything?”
“I fancied I could make out something moving across that opening yonder, sir,” said the lad, leaning a little out of the window.
“I trust not,” said the lieutenant, shading his eyes with his hand. “I was in hopes that we had given the fellows such a lesson that they would keep away for the present, at all events, for I want no fighting, no wounding the enemy, no injuries more than we have received upon our side. I want just to hold our own, Roberts, till our friend Mr Murray or Mr Munday brings us help.”
“Yes, sir, but there is some movement going on there just among the tall-growing coarse reeds.”