plug it."

"Hah!" ejaculated Murray, who was breathing hard with excitement. "Oh,
do go on a little faster!"

"That we did, sir--pulled faster, for some of the enemy come shouting
after us along the side of the stream. You see, they couldn't come on
the far side, 'cause it was all trees, while luckily for us they
couldn't get along much where they were, for it was all boggy, and I see
three of them sink in up to their knees and stick fast cussing and
swearing. But they warn't the only ones, for him as we took to be their
boss, he let go at 'em orful, sir, and yelped at 'em to follow us up,
knowing all the time that they couldn't do nowt o' the sort, and him not
trying a bit, because he warn't going to fill his boots."

"But they kept on firing at you?" cried Murray.

"Fast as ever they could, sir. They kep' on loading and firing, and
Harry and me kep' on pulling like hooray. You see, the shooting spurred
us on a bit, for they kep' on hitting the boat when they didn't send the
bullets spattering into the trees over our heads, and cut the little
twigs and leaves and make them fall upon us."

"But didn't they get to the bank higher up?" asked Murray.

"I dunno, sir," replied the man. "We was too busy to think about that.
Precious hot it was too, pulling under boughs as kept all the air away.
I don't want to brag, Mr Murray, sir, but we had a precious nice time
on it, pulling, and hearing the beggars shouting and firing till we got
well round a bend and out o' their sight, same as they was out of our
sight, when I says to Harry Lang as best thing we could do was to see to
damages, and seeing as it warn't likely that they could get at us for a
bit we run the boat's nose into the far side bank where Harry could get
hold of a branch, and then he outs with his Jack knife and whittles a
peg to fit into the shot-hole, for the water kep' on coming in tidy
fast."

"Is that the hole?" said Murray eagerly.

"That's it, sir, and there's two more plugged up astarn, 'sides that
there chip out o' the back by the starn sheets."

"But you neither of you got hurt?"

"No, sir; you see they warn't very handy with the guns, and we kep'
going pretty fast."

"But there's a blood-stain upon your shirt, my lad."

"Oh, that, sir? It did bleed a little bit, but it was only a scrat--
nowt to speak about."

"Indeed!" said Murray. "Well, it has left off bleeding, but the doctor
must see to it when we get back to the _Seafowl_."