ing seamen who were rowing and threw every one of them
overboard. The mate, a small, active man, managed to draw a heavy horse
pistol from his belt, but ere he could pull the trigger he was dealt
a crushing blow with a musket stock. As he fell a native thrust him
through and through with one of the seamen's cutlasses. As for the
unfortunate seamen, they were killed one by one as they struggled in the
water. That part of the fell work accomplished, the natives pulled
the boat in towards Oneaka, where some ten or fifteen large native
double-ended boats and canoes, all filled with savages lusting for blood
and rapine, awaited them.

Deschard, a man of the most savage courage, was in command of some
twenty or thirty of the most noted of the Oneaka warriors; and on
learning from Tebarian (the native who spoke English and who was
Corton's brown familiar) that the two guns were in the waist of the
ship, he instructed his white comrades to follow in the wake of his
boat, and, once they got alongside, board the ship wherever their fancy
dictated.

There was a muttered _E rairai!_ (Good!) of approval from the listening
natives, and then in perfect silence and intuitive discipline the
paddles struck the water, and the boat and canoes, with their naked,
savage crews, sped away on their mission of death.

VI.

But, long before they imagined, they had been discovered, and their
purpose divined from the ship. Maru, the keen-eyed half-caste, who was
the first to notice their approach, knew from the manner in which the
canoes kept together that something unusual was about to occur, and
instantly called the captain. Glass in hand, the latter ascended the
main rigging for a dozen ratlins or so and looked at the advancing
flotilla. A very brief glance told him that the boy had good cause for
alarm--the natives intended to cut off the ship, and the captain, whom
Maru described as "an old man with a white head," at once set about to
make such a defence as the critical state of affairs rendered possible.

Calling his men to him and giving them muskets, he posted two of them on
top of the deckhouse, and with the remainder of his poor force stationed
himself upon the poop. With a faint hope that they might yet be
intimidated from attacking, he fired a musket shot in the direction of
the leading boat. No notice was taken; so, descending to the main deck
with his men, he ran out one of the 6-pounders and fired it. The roar of
the heav