preparatory to marching out, Tom Marston heard a noise-something between a cry and a groan-come from the room they had just vacated. Fearing somebody might be left behind, he went in and discovered Russell on the ground, where he had been felled by a blow on the head during the fight, and Lazarus No. 2 seated on his chest gouging his eyes.

Hearing footsteps Lazarus sprang to his feet, then, seeing Tom only, and being deceived by his youthful face, he thought he would be more than a match for him. Lowering his head like a ram he made a charge at Tom. The latter waited until he was quite close, then, raising his knee quickly, he caught Mr. Campbell on the nose with it and laid that feature level with the rest of his face. They closed and struggled for a second or two, while all the time Tom was improving his hold, then suddenly exerting all his strength-the extent of which he himself was scarcely conscious of, and which, a few years later, was notorious all over the world-Tom lifted the nigger off his feet, and, swinging him round, threw him, as he thought, over the counter at the end of the room.

What Tom had mistaken for the counter was a table against a window at the side of the room, and Lazarus was thrown against the sash with such force that the whole framework was carried away, and he fell a distance of fifteen feet on to the roof of a pig-stye which, fortunately for him, broke his fall, though it gave way with his weight, and he nearly smothered a litter of young pigs inside.

This was a finale very much to the taste of the Alerts, and loud the plaudits rung.

Feeling pretty well satisfied that the whole town would soon be aroused the party took their departure, formed in a solid phalanx, and, avoiding the principal streets, they made a detour of the town, and managed to reach Krootown unmolested, where they had no difficulty in getting boats to take them on board.

There was not one of the party who was not more or less knocked about, cut, and bruised; but that counted for nothing. They knew the damage they had done exceeded what they had received as three to one. They had wreaked their vengeance on the Sierra Leone police, and had escaped arrest. It was a pleasant recollection to take away and be enjoyed on the passage home.

With mutual feelings of respect and admiration the Alerts and Briseises wished one another goodnight, and repaired on board their respective ships.

This, however, did not conclude the events connected with the police in Sierra Leone that night.

Mr. Woodruff and the paymaster of the Alert were coming down to the usual landing-place late that night, when they were attacked by the police, knocked down, and taken off to the police-station.

Being taken before a magistrate the next morning they were each fined £5 for a violent assault on the police, and were also fined £5 for a cowardly and dastardly assault on Mrs. Campbell and her two daughters, and had to pay £12 damages done to the house and pig-stye, and 27s. costs in the two

cases.

Mr. Woodruff wanted to prove an alibi; but every member of the police-force swore they distinctly recognised him as a ringleader, and Mrs. Campbell and her two daughters were able to swear that it was he and the paymaster who tied their dresses over their heads, while Mr. Campbell hoped "De Lard might trike um dead" if Mr. Woodruff had not been the individual who threw him through the window. Against such conclusive evidence no reasonable individual could entertain any doubt.

CHAPTER XVI.

A PRIZE

A sailor when the prize has struck in fight,
A miser filling his most hoarded chest,
Feel rapture.

BYRON.

MR. WOODRUFF was not in a very Christian frame of mind when he returned to the Briseis.

The work of refitting was still going on, and he went about venting his spleen on every one. He stopped Dayrell's leave because he did not know how to seize on a ratline. He sent Otter up into the fore-top, and told him to remain there until he was called down, because he could not tell him how a main topmast stay was secured; and he threatened to have a boatswain's mate disrated, because two lanyards of the main topmast back stays were carried away in succession.

Seeing the humour he was in, Tom Marston tried to avoid him, but in dodging round the mainmast to do so, he ran against and capsized a bucket of Stockholm tar, which ran all over the deck. At once all the fat was in the fire.

"You careless young lubber. Can't you see where you are going? I have half a mind to make you holystone the deck. Go on the bridge and remain there until midnight," exclaimed Mr. Woodruff. And reluctantly Tom obeyed him.

This punishment would interfere with his plans. He, Howard, and Russell had that morning received an invitation from the gun-room officers of the Alert to come on board for another supper, and afterwards take part in a final spree on shore, as the Alert was to sail for England at daylight the next day. It was Howard's first watch, so he could not go, but Russell and Marston had accepted; now Tom was also prevented. It turned out a great piece of luck for

him in the end, for the second night's entertainment was not nearly so satisfactory as the first.

The police were on the look-out and prepared for the rioters, while the latter, emboldened by the previous night's success, were rash and incautious.

After landing, the whole party were proceeding towards the lawyer's house, whom they had neglected to visit the evening before. They met a policeman on the way, who, in the usually offensive way, held his bull's eye lantern close up to Satan's face. That worthy immediately knocked the policeman down, and they were all proceeding to gag and secure him in the customary manner, when they heard a springing of rattles in every direction, at first in their immediate neighbourhood, then at further and further distances answering the signals.

In a few minutes a crowd had collected, which outnumbered the Alerts by more than treble. They would not give in without a fight, and a very desperate one; but the police were constantly being reinforced, while the ranks of the Alerts were becoming thinned; and finally they were all secured, Russell being amongst the number, and lodged in jail.

Such a haul the police had not had for some time, and their delight exceeded all bounds. They immediately secured the services of the nigger lawyer to prosecute, and, in addition to some very damning evidence of what had actually occurred, they procured a number of false witnesses who were prepared to swear to anything they were asked. The result was that, when brought before the magistrates-who were rather poor specimens of their class-the whole of the party was sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine; and it was not without a great deal of trouble, nor until the Captain of the Alert had interviewed the governor, and obtained his support, that they were released on payment of the maximum fine and costs.

No sooner had the officers of the Alert returned to

their ship, than she got underweigh; and being cheered by the crew of the Briseis, sailed out of Sierra Leone harbour en route for England to be paid off.

In a few more days the Briseis also sailed, and with the exception of one Sunday afternoon, when he went ashore to call on the Spratts, with permission, in broad daylight, and in full uniform, Tom did not again visit the shore at Sierra Leone.

For the next six months the cruise of the Briseis was a very monotonous one. She was allotted a certain portion of the Gold Coast as her cruising ground, and up and down, backwards and forwards, she was continually sailing, like some albatross following a ship at sea, until every palm tree on the low line of land was familiar to every one on board.

They scarcely ever saw a stranger with the exception of a few uninteresting palm-oil traders. They had no communication with the shore, as the heavy surf precluded any landing, save in specially constructed boats and canoes. They had no food beyond the ship's provisions, no vegetables, nor fruit; and very little food for the mind. Their mails were delivered once in two months, when they received a stock of papers which lasted about a week.

The life told most severely on men approaching middle age, who had not the elastic spirits of youth to sustain them. The monotonous, dispiriting existence in a climate which is very depressing, rendered many men a misery to themselves and their associates. They had recourse to the bottle to drive away their wretchedness, by obtaining a transient return of cheerfulness; and then, when reaction followed, they continued the treatment to deaden their sensibilities. The final result was diseased liver, with its usual accompaniments of fretfulness and irritability.

Mr. Woodruff was one of those who kept up a steady strain from early morn till late at night. He did not get on very well with Captain Boyle, and whenever the latter found fault with him about some