desire to afford help and the
feeling that the major's science-taught ideas were right.

"Stop, my lads," he said sadly; "the major's right, but I ask you to
bear witness, Morgan, that I do this unwillingly."

"The major is quite right," said Morgan, sitting up, his brow knit with
pain. "Mark, my lad, we have you to thank for saving the gig."

"Oh, nonsense, Mr Morgan," said the lad.

"It's quite right," he said; "and I believe you saved my life too. At
all events, you gave the others time to get up and stop them. Without a
boat we should have been helpless."

"Hah! he'd make a capital soldier," said the major, as he shaded his
eyes with his hand. "Now, then, Mr Gregory, can your lads get the gig
right up the sands and into the river-bed yonder?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do it, then, for one of the praus is coming on so as to be within reach
of the shore, and either land men, or try and shatter the gig. Now, I
tell you what: we'll intrench ourselves a bit, and then when they're
near enough, and I've got the barrel resting in a fork of one of these
trees, if I can't pick off a few men with a revolver, my name's not
O'Halloran. Now, then, to work."

The order was given; and as the men ran up the gig, one of the two praus
was seen to swing slowly round, and then began to move toward them, with
her long sweeps dipping regularly in the calm blue sunlit sea, while at
that moment, forgotten till then, Bruff, the dog, came limping over the
sand, after a laborious journey on three legs, to lie down uttering a
low whine at his master's feet.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

HOW THE MAJOR SHOWED HIMSELF TO BE A MAN O' WAR.

Poor Bruff had to be contented with a pat on the head, and then creep
after his master back through the bushes to where the major was doing
his best to bring his military knowledge to bear.

"It's a hard job," he said, "but it must be done. As they come nearer
they'll keep on firing at that boat, and in it lie all our hopes. Mr
Gregory, that boat must be got through those bushes and hidden."

"All hands," said the mate, in answer; and setting the example, he
helped to drag the boat round, so that her bows pointed at the narrow
opening in the bushes up to which she was run, and then, with the prau
continuing her fire, the gig was with great labour forced through to the
open ground beyond, and placed behind some rocks in the river-bed.

The next task was to help Morgan through, and Small and Billy Widgeon
w