y suspended whatever
operations might be proceeding. But my party was altogether too weak to
justify me in incurring any risks; there appeared to be but one life in
immediate jeopardy ashore there, whereas any premature alarm might
result in the loss of several of the rescuing party, and possibly the
complete failure of the expedition. No, my strongest hope lay in the
possibility of effecting a complete surprise; so I hardened my heart,
held up my hand to enjoin the most perfect silence, and whispered the
coxswain to sheer the boat a little closer to the port bank. Then, as
the boat seemed to have plenty of "way" on her, I ordered the "stroke"
to pass the word to lay in the oars noiselessly, and for those in the
bows to stand by with the boat-hook and the painter.

These orders had just been obeyed, and we were gliding along in absolute
silence, when, a short distance ahead, I caught sight of a break in the
mangroves that looked wide enough to admit the boat, and I signed to the
coxswain to point our stem for it. A few seconds later we slid into a
kind of cavern, formed of the overarching branches of a belt of
mangroves, and, gliding along a narrow canal of about sixty feet in
length, we finally brought up alongside a good firm bank of soil, on
which there was room enough for us all to land. Our movements were
effectually masked by a thin belt of scrub, which appeared to be all
that intervened between us and the three or four hundred yelling and
chanting natives who were now making the air ring and vibrate within a
short hundred yards of us. At the same time I became aware that the
agonising shrieks, as of one in mortal agony, had ceased.

The din of discordant sounds was now so tremendous that there was no
very especial need for the observance of any great amount of caution on
our part, yet we disembarked with scarcely a sound, and I drew our
little party up in two lines, the _Sharks_ being placed in the front
rank, and the others immediately behind them.

"Now, men," said I, "I have just one last word of caution to give you
before we attack. Remember that we have not come here for the express
purpose of fighting the natives, but to rescue our fellow-countrymen;
therefore my orders are that as soon as this is accomplished a retreat
is to be at once made to the boat, no man pausing except to support a
comrade who may be in difficulties. I propose to begin the attack by
discharging the whole of these rockets as