of those in the canoes, the
Frenchmen firing in like manner at almost the same moment. A yell of
dismay immediately arose from the canoes, and half a dozen of those
nearest us dashed their paddles into the water and began paddling
precipitately away. Their panic, however, was only momentary; they
appeared to have seen and heard artillery before, and as soon as they
saw that no damage had been done they arrested their flight, and a
contingent of canoes, numbering quite a hundred, began cautiously to
advance toward us, spreading out on our right and left in a manner which
showed that they meditated an attempt to surround us.

"Give 'em another pill, Tom, and slap it right into the thick of 'em
this time; we mustn't let 'em surround us at no price," exclaimed old
Mildmay. "Turn round on your thwarts, lads, and pull the boat gently up
stream, starn first, so's to keep our bull-dog forward there facing 'em.
Now, as soon as you're ready there with the gun let 'em have it." Once
again the carronade spoke out, and this time its voice conveyed a death-
message to some of the belligerent blacks, the shot striking one of the
canoes fair in the stem, knocking her into match-wood, and killing or
maiming several of her occupants. We naturally expected that this
severe lesson would have the effect of sending our troublesome
neighbours to the right-about _en masse_, but to our surprise and
discomfiture this was by no means the case; on the contrary, it appeared
to have thoroughly aroused their most savage instincts, and with a loud
shout they dashed their paddles into the water and advanced menacingly
toward us.

"Load your muskets, lads!" exclaimed Mildmay, as, with eyes gleaming and
nostrils dilated, the old war-horse snuffed the approaching battle;
"load your muskets, and then take to your oars again and back her
steadily up stream. Sharp's the word and quick's the action; if those
rascals `outflank' us--as the sodgers call it--we may say `good-bye' to
old England. Mr Hawkesley, d'ye think you can pitch a bullet into that
long chap that's creeping up there on our larboard beam? I'm about to
try my hand and see if I can't stop the gallop of this fellow who's in
such a tremendous hurry away here to the nor'ard of us. Take good aim,
now; we haven't a single bullet that we can afford to throw away. Ah!
that's _well_ done," as I bowled over the individual who was handling
the steering paddle in the canoe indicated to me. "No