hat and washed his wound, and then bound it up with a piece of
shirt which I took from a dead man near. The poor fellow seemed much
revived and very grateful.

"There," said I, "you will be able to get off and join your people at
nightfall. It's not my business to take you prisoner."

"Thank you, stranger, thank you," said he; "Amos Spinks will not forget
your mercy and kindness."

I could not stay with him longer, but, leaving him a piece of biscuit
and a hat full of water, I ran on to join my companions, who, not seeing
me, had gone forward. The American had no idea I was an officer, for I
had on a white linen jacket which I wore at my quarters, and it was
consequently thickly begrimed with powder and dirt. I caught sight of
my party ahead, and ran on as fast as my legs could carry me, with the
load of spoils I had collected, to overtake them. As I neared them, and
was shouting to them to stop, I caught sight of one of our boats, with
Mr Heron, our second lieutenant, in her, pulling along-shore after me.
I saw that he was somewhat excited, and seemed urging on the men to pull
with greater speed. Just as I got up to my party, to our no small
astonishment, not to say dismay, he turned the bow of the boat towards
us, and bang he let fly a shower of grape from a gun placed there right
in among us, following up the unwelcome salute with a volley of small
arms. We shouted at the top of our voices, and made signs that we were
friends; but what with the smoke and his blindness, for he was
near-sighted, and the noise of the firing and the shouts of his men, he
neither made out who we were nor heard us, but continued peppering away
as before.

"Run, my lads, run," I sung out; "there's no disgrace running from
friends, but very unpleasant to be shot by them."

My party required no second order, but away we all scampered as fast as
we could go, scattering from each other to distract our friends in their
very unfriendly employment.

"Oh, Mr Hurry, I bees hit, I bees hit?" sung out Tom Rockets.

I expected to see him fall, but the shot only made him scamper on the
faster. Our flight, of course, made Mr Heron fire at us more
zealously, and we had to throw away all the things we had collected to
escape with greater speed from his heroic fury. We took a course
inland, and then turned back towards the place where we had landed.
Happily we soon got among trees and rocks and broken walls, which much
sheltered us, and Tom