yself because I, a
mere boy, had not the foresight of an experienced man.

"No, no," I cried the next moment. "How could we get at the tiller?"

"You won't want no tiller, sir; we can row aboard easy enough, once we
get out o' this fiddling little drain."

"You are right, Saunders," I said. "Go on."

All the while the men astern were keeping up a steady fire, which
certainly had one effect, that of checking the enemy's advance. And now
Saunders came aft with a bale on his head, keeping his balance
wonderfully as he stepped over the thwarts.

"Mind yer eye, Pigtail," he cried.

"Keep back! Where are you coming?" growled a man who was loading.

"Here, matey," cried Saunders; and he plumped the bale down right across
the stern.

"Hooroar!" cried Tom Jecks, stepping behind it, and resting his rifle on
the top.

No more was said, the men easing off out of the way as bale after bale
was brought and planted in threes, so that when six had been placed
there was a fine breast-work, which formed a splendid protection for
those in the stern, and this was added to, until we were fairly safe
from enemies behind. But once more we could hear them creeping nearer
through the bushes on our right; the firing grew more dangerous, and
there was nothing for it, I felt, but to order every man in the two
boats to take his piece, shelter himself behind the bales, and help to
beat the enemy back.

It was a sad necessity, for I knew that the tide was falling very fast,
and that before long we should be immovable; but to have kept on
shifting the load and allow the enemy to get close in over our heads on
the densely-clothed sides of the stream would, I knew, be madness; and
the men showed how they appreciated the common-sense of the order by
getting at once under cover, and then the sharp rattle of our fire was
more than doubled.

But, enraged by their defeat, and doubly mortified to find that we had
discovered their treasure, the pirates seemed now to have cast aside
their cowardice, and were creeping in nearer and nearer, yelling to each
other by way of encouragement; and, in addition to keeping up an
irregular fire, they strove, I suppose, to intimidate us by beating and
making a deafening noise on gongs.

"They will be too much for us," I thought, when we seemed to have been
keeping up the struggle for hours, though minutes would have been a more
correct definition; and, with the longing for help and counsel growing
more