"Make fast the boat to that cleat on the quarter, Cyd," said Dan, as he hauled aft the sheets, and put his helm down. Cyd obeyed, and the Isabel filled away upon her course again. Lily was calmer now, but she was still much impressed by the solemn and awful scene of which she had just been a witness. "It's all over now, Lily. Don't think any more about it," said Dan, in soothing tones. "It is terrible--isn't it, Dan?" replied she, with a shudder. "It is, Lily; but there was no help for it. All that we have done was in self-defence." "But it is awful to think of killing them." "It is better as it is than if we had let them take us." "Did you really mean to kill them, Dan?" "Not if I could help it; but I would have killed a dozen of them rather than be carried back into slavery." "We didn't kill 'em, Missy Lily," interposed Quin. "Dey done drownded. De good Lo'd strike 'em down jus like he did de 'Gyptians in de Red Sea, in de midst ob dar wickedness. We didn't kill 'em, Missy Lily." "That's it, Lily," added Dan, indorsing the explanation, though the religious aspect of the case was not so strongly impressed upon his mind as upon that of his pious companion. "We might have saved them," continued the gentle-hearted girl, who derived but little consolation from the words of Quin. "You might have taken them on board when the squall came." "Why, Lily, I had just smashed their boat with my own hands, and I wasn't going to put my head into the lion's mouth. It is best as it is, Lily. The death of these men will remove all danger from our path, for no one has seen us except them." "But how awful!" sighed she. "I told you, Lily, before we started, that terrible things might happen to us. You shall be free; let this thought comfort you." But it did not comfort her, and she continued to bewail the catastrophe that had befallen the slave-hunters till the attention of her companions was called to the position of the Isabel. "Dar's land on de bof sides of us," called Cyd, who had again been stationed at the heel of the bowsprit to act as lookout man. "All right! I see it," responded Dan. "Quin, let go the foresail halyards. How does it look ahead, Cyd?" "Dark as de back of dis chile's hand." "Look out sharp!" "Do dat, for sartin." The Isabel continued slowly on her course, for the woods on the shore now began to shelter the sails from the full force of the wind. The corner of the lake grew narrower with every moment she advanced, till the boat was not more than a couple of rods from either shore. She was running up one of the tributaries of the lake. Presently the creek was less than thirty feet wide; and having passed round a bend so as to hide her from the open lake, Dan ordered his companions to make fast to a tree, as he ran her up to the shore. CHAPTER XVI. IN THE SWAMP.