“The wind fell about sunset, then oars were got out, and, laden as we were, it was a stiffish pull. All in the dark too, until eight o’clock, when the moon rose, half hidden at first by a bank of greyish clouds, which she soon surmounted, and then shone out with a splendour that you only see in one part of the world.”
“And that,” said I, interrupting him, “is the Indian Ocean.”
“True, Nie, true,” said Roberts.
“We were among islands now, some bare and level, others wooded, a few with lofty cocoa-palms.
“We had just landed on one of the latter, because owing to the cocoa-nut trees there would be, as you know, Nie, a few natives, and we expected a bit of hot supper. We had drawn our boat well up on the sandy beach of a little cove, hidden by some scraggy bushes when—
“‘Look, look!’ cried our purser’s clerk.
“All eyes were directed seaward.
“Two great dhows stealing out to sea! They were off in the same direction that we were going, and from the cut of their sails we could tell they were pirates, that is Arab fighting slavers.
“‘I say, Mr Roberts,’ said the middy, ‘I wouldn’t tackle those, would you?’