Mother Carey's Chicken Part 34

"Want any more cartridges, Mr Gregory?" said Mark.

For answer the mate bent down, glanced along the barrel of his gun and fired.

Mark darted forward and caught sight of a hideously-distorted face and a pair of raised hands before they disappeared beneath the surface, and just at that moment he darted back, barely in time to avoid a spear which stuck quivering in the woodwork round the window.

"Not a very safe place. Squire Mark," said the mate, reloading without taking his eyes from the boat, and firing again as a dark head literally flashed into sight, one of the Malays having dived and so arranged his plunge that he should form a curve in the water and rise close to the boat's stern.

"I wish they would get tired of this," said Gregory, again reloading, and speaking through his teeth. "If they put no value on human life I do."

The ill success of the venture to cut the boat adrift seemed to have maddened the Malays, for after a burst of angry talking there was a loud yell, a pattering of naked feet on the deck, and the next minute a furious attack was being made upon the cabin entrance, blows were delivered with axes, and it soon became evident that a way would be made through.

"Ah! what are you going to do?" roared the major, as he saw a man about to fire. "Don't waste your shot, man. Stand back till you can see the whites of your enemy's eyes, and then let him have it."

There was a thrill running through the men, and click, click, of lock after lock.

"That's it," said the major, "cool as cuc.u.mbers. Bravo, lads! What soldiers I could make of all of you! Now, look here, I'll give the order to fire, but what you have to do is this: wait till these black murdering scoundrels make a hole in the defence, and then you fill it up with the mouth of your pieces, and look sharp, before they thrust through a spear."

The men uttered a low growl, and the captain now stood by the major, while Morgan after a smile at Mark seated himself upon the cabin table to watch for an attack from the sky-light, toward which he held a loaded revolver.

A sharp report from Mr Gregory's gun was followed by another yell, telling painfully enough that the Malays had been deceived in imagining that the whole of the little force would be defending the door, and that now was the time to cut the boat adrift.

The yell from the water was followed by a fierce one on deck, and the chopping and splintering of wood. The door was stoutly built, but those behind were very slight, and it was not long before the panels began to show gaps of splinters and jagged holes through which spears were thrust so suddenly that the men fell back, and the blows were redoubled.

"Ah! they are nasty weapons, my lads," said the major coolly. "Serve them this way."

As he spoke he watched his opportunity, waiting till a spear was darted in for some distance, when, catching it in his left hand, he pressed it aside, readied forward, and discharged his revolver right through the hole by which the spear had come.

The proof of the efficacy of this shot was shown by the major drawing in the spear and throwing it upon the deck, while his example was followed more or less by the men, who now sent shot after shot through the various holes made in the door.

"Don't waste your fire, lads; don't waste your fire," cried the major; and his words were not without effect, as the slow delivery of shots, and the yells of pain and rage which followed many of the discharges, told.

No more attempts were made to cut away the boat, and Mr Gregory's piece became silent; but it soon grew evident that a fresh attack was to be made upon them, for the crashing and shivering of gla.s.s was heard in the sky-lights, and directly after, heavy blows from an axe. This was soon followed by the appearance of an opening through which a spear-head gleamed as the weapon was darted down so adroitly that it pa.s.sed through the fold of the boatswain's trousers, and pinned him to the table on one side of which he too leant.

The answer to this was a shot from Morgan's revolver, and another from the gun the boatswain held, after which he proceeded leisurely to wriggle out the spear and draw it away.

Then more blows were heard, and a fresh hole was made in the sky-light defence, but the spear thrust down more than met its match, and after a shot or two no more blows were delivered there.

By this time the Malays had grown less daring, and though a man or two rushed forward now and then to dart a spear at them, there was a cessation of the work of destroying with axes, and the sailors were able to keep command of the holes, and send a well-directed shot through from time to time.

But the encounter, badly as it had gone with the Malays, had had its effects among the defenders of the place. The major had an ugly gash in his left arm delivered by a knife-bladed spear. Billy Widgeon's ear was cut through, and he had a slight p.r.i.c.k in his right arm, while one of the other men had a spear stab in the left leg.

The withdrawal of the Malays from the attack enabled the injured to go into hospital as the major termed it, and each wound was carefully bandaged by the major's wife or by Mrs Strong.

"They're about beaten, I should say," said the major, cheerily. "By the way, Strong, a little bleeding is very refreshing. I feel like a new man."

"So do I," said the captain grimly.

"Here, quick, look out!" cried Mark at that instant, for, wincing from seeing the dressing of his father's wound, he had unscrewed one of the little side-lights and was looking over the calm sunlit sea, when he caught sight of a prau gliding along from the _Petrel's_ bows, and it was evident that she was coming to attack simultaneously from the stern.

"Hah! that's it, is it!" said the major. "Hitting back and front too!

Confound that fellow! how badly he steers the boat!"

As he said these words he clapped his gun to his shoulder and fired.

The steersman fell, but it had no permanent effect, save to draw a little shower of spears at the window opening, one of which pa.s.sed through and stuck quivering in the bulkhead. Then another man took the steerer's place, and the prau glided by evidently to take her station astern.

"We shall lose the boat, major," said the captain bitterly.

"Shall we!" replied the major. "Just take my place, sir, by the door.

I'm going to use my little hunting rifle now alongside of Gregory; and if a man does reach that boat I'm going to know the reason why. I'm not much given to boasting, but I can shoot straight."

He had already proved it to some purpose, and without a word the captain took his place by the barricade, while the major went into his own cabin and returned with a little double rifle and a pouch of ammunition.

"I did not want to use this," he said; "but things are growing serious."

The prau had by this time been rowed to its station, and from the stir on deck it was now evident that the bra.s.s swivel-gun was being loaded and preparations made to send a volley of missiles tearing through the stern windows.

"That will be awkward, Gregory," said the major.

"Do a lot of damage, sir," said the mate coolly. "They are so low down in the water that they can't send a shot along our floor. The charge will go right up and through the deck."

"Well, at any rate I think I'll try and stop them."

"By all means," said the mate, and he watched keenly as the major knelt down, resting his rifle on the sill and taking aim, but waiting.

All at once there was a puff of smoke, a sharp crack, and at the same moment a deafening report from the prau, but the charge of missiles went hurtling and screaming up through the mizen rigging and away over the ship to sea.

The major's shot was more successful, for a man fell.

"He was a little too quick for me," said the major, reloading and waiting for another chance. "Nasty work this!" he added; "but I suppose it's necessary."

"Necessary, sir!" cried Gregory angrily; "think of those poor women in the cabin."

There was a sharp crack from the major's rifle, and another man fell.

"That's the left barrel!" said the major, reloading. "Yes, my dear sir, I am thinking about those poor women in the cabin. Ah, would you!"

He drew trigger again, and another man who had been about to fire the lelah sprang up and dropped the match.

There was a yell, and a fresh man picked up the piece of burning match from the deck, shouted, and giving the fire a wave in the air, he was in the act of bringing it down upon the touch-hole, when the major, who had not stirred to reload, drew trigger once again, the rifle cracked, and the Malay dropped upon his face.

There was a fierce yell at this, and in the midst of tremendous confusion on board, the prau continued her course, the sweeps being worked rapidly by the crew, who were evidently in frantic haste to get out of the deadly line of fire.

"Ah!" said the major, coolly reloading, "now I could pick off the steersman, or that chap with the red handkerchief; but it would do no real good. We've scared them off, and that's good work."

"Splendid, major. Why, that rifle is a little treasure."

"Well, yes," said the major, patting it; "but it was meant for tiger and leopard, Gregory, not to kill men."