Clara comforted him on his return, by telling him Willis would live to be hung yet, a notion that the old duenna vigorously opposed, and contended that “the handsome captain of the slaver would die in his bed, in spite of all the navy officers on the station;” for, for some reason, the members of the R. N. were no favorites with the old lady. Don Manuel was more than pleased to hear of Willis’s escape, and expressed a hope that the warning he had received might be the means of reforming him. But Francisca was overjoyed, and did nothing but offer up thanks to the Virgin the remainder of the day; and she also prayed fervently that Willis might embrace some less dangerous and more honorable pursuit. De Vere, feeling assured that Willis had escaped by the agency of some one in the city or castle, and anxious to have them punished, made every exertion to discover who they were. He had some suspicion of Don Manuel; but all his efforts to get any clue from the Spaniard were unsuccessful. He complained to the Governor-General of the Island, and had all the garrison of the castle, from the commander down, rigorously examined. But it was all of no avail; the only person who could be charged with conniving at Willis’s escape, or in any way aiding him, was the jailor who had him in charge; and their efforts to retake him proved as futile as to find the captain. De Vere could comfort himself in no other way, and therefore made a mental resolve to hang Willis at once, if he ever was so fortunate as to get possession of him again, and leave him no chance for another escape. CHAPTER IX. Lord! how they did blaspheme! And foam and roll, with strange convulsions rack’d, Drinking salt water like a mountain stream, Tearing and grinning, howling, screeching, swearing, And with hyena laughter, died despairing. Byron. In the last chapter but one, we left Willis on his way once more to the coast of Africa. We will now join him, as he is about starting back for Cuba, with a cargo of negroes, purchased with the money Don Manuel had sent him. His crew being too small to do any thing more than navigate the schooner; and having been unable, on the coast, to increase their number, he had, prior to taking in his cargo, dismounted his guns, and stowed them, with their carriages, in the hold, under the ballast. This change of weight he now found altered much and greatly retarded the schooner’s speed; but it was now too late to make any alterations; and it was with greater anxiety than he had ever felt on any former voyage that he looked out for men-of-war. He could neither fight, nor confidently trust to his vessel’s speed; and he was particularly anxious to get in safely with this, if he could land them, his last cargo of Africans.