e, stood up and sent
her first shot crashing through the timbers of the boat.

"Quick, Tematau," I cried, "get another rifle and fire with me at the
second boat. Let ours come to the wind--it matters not."

Picking out one of the two fellows who were shooting so steadily at us
from the bows of their boat, I fired and missed, but another shot did
for him, for he fell backwards and I saw his rifle fly up in the air and
then drop overboard.

This was enough for them, for the steersman at once began to slew her
round, and then he too went down as a bullet from Tematau took him fair
and square in the chest, and we saw the blood pouring from him as he
fell across the gunwale. In another ten seconds they were paddling away
from us, leaving the other boat to her fate.

"That is enough," I cried to Tepi, who I now noticed for the first
time was bleeding from a bullet wound in the left arm, which had been
hurriedly tied up by Lucia, "that is enough. Put down your gun. There is
now no one in the second boat shooting at us."

"They are lying down in the bottom," said Niabon, "we can see them
moving, but some have dived overboard, and swum ashore. See, there are
four of them running along the reef."

"Let them go, Niabon," and then I turned to Lucia. She was deathly pale,
but had all her wits about her, for although she could barely speak from
excitement, she had some brandy and water ready for us.

"Thank you," I said, as I poured a stiff dose into the pannikin, and
taking first pull, passed it on to Tepi and the other man. "Now we must
have a look at that boat. We can't leave wounded men to drown."

The wind was now very light, but the boat was so near that we were
soon alongside and looking into her. There were three dead, two badly
wounded, one slightly wounded man, and one unhurt man in her. The latter
looked at us without the slightest fear, even when Tepi, picking up a
carbine, thrust the muzzle of it almost into his face. Niabon gently
took the weapon from Tepi's hand, laid it down and waited for me to
question our prisoner.

"Is the white man dead?" I asked.

"Ay, he died but now. The bullet went in at where the ribs join."

To make sure that Tally was really dead I got down into the boat. He
was lying on his face and was dead enough, though he had evidently lived
until a few minutes previously.

I jumped on board the _Lucia_ again, and looked anxiously around. There
was still a light air, but the tide was now