d step in
in time to arrest the flight and hand over the white man. Presently
Johnnie came back with a piece of wood in his hand.

"All dat remain," he said, with a laugh. "De bow hit right into boat,
and brake um. Dis stick to de fender. Noding hurt. Launch same as
before, only bullet mark eberywhere, I 'spect."

"Then we'll look to ourselves. What damages, Johnnie?"

"Golly! I forget um. Tink soon be killed by dem debils and den no
matter. But feel um now. Look dar! Johnnie kill dat man if he catch
um! What he want to fire so to spoil de beauty? Johnnie's wife not
like dat 'tall!"

Here was a genuine grievance, and the native made the most of it as he
showed Dick his wound. For a slug had struck him on the cheek, just
below the orbit, and had lacerated the flesh, so that there was every
prospect of much scarring; while the bleeding, as in all face wounds,
had been excessive, and his coat and breast were covered with blood.

"An honourable wound," said Dick, with a chuckle, for this little native
amused him vastly, and considering his want of good looks, it was rather
amazing to hear him talking of lost beauty. "Honourable scars, Johnnie.
You will be able to point to that wound and say to your wife and
friends, `Johnnie get that when he fight whole Ashanti army. Yes, he
hab one man only wid him. He fight army alone and kill plenty. Den he
wave de hand and leab.' How's that, Johnnie?"

They sat opposite one another now, the enemy almost forgotten, and they
laughed till Dick had to hold his sides. For the expression on the
stoker's face as Dick took note of his grievance was ludicrous. He
looked surprised and grieved at first, and then utterly indignant.
Then, as our hero proceeded with the tale, he saw his point, and
commenced to smile.

"Yo make um ache, massa," he cried. "Yes, Johnnie say all dat. He
forget. Dis wound show him to be brave man. He fight whole army,
alone. He kill heap. He glad dat man hit um here. Dat man friend of
him for life!"

It was natural that the two should make the most of the matter and enjoy
it to their heart's content, for the reader must recollect that a few
minutes before death stared them in the face, that for a quarter of an
hour the odds against their escape had been desperate, and that during
all that time they had been working with hand and brain and fighting at
full pressure. And as if the danger had been a stone hung about their
necks by a cor