e end of a
length of extemporised fuse in the heap. Then he piled the cartridges
on the top of the heap, placed the case on the windlass bitts, ignited
the free end of the fuse, and rushed aft, yelling to us to throw
ourselves flat upon our faces as he did so.

So urgent was his call that we all instinctively obeyed it; and there we
lay for perhaps ten or fifteen seconds, while the savages, seeing the
weak point suddenly deserted, swarmed about it in greatly augmented
numbers, finally enlarging the hole in the net to such an extent that at
length it was big enough to permit the passage of a man, when one after
another they began to force their way through. It was at this precise
moment that the spark of the burning fuse reached the powder, which of
course instantly blew up, igniting the hundred or so of cartridges that
remained in the case, and scattering the bullets in them in all
directions. There was a quick flash of the ignited powder, immediately
followed by the cracker-like reports of the exploding cartridges, a
horrible chorus of yells and shrieks of wounded men, and then--sudden,
complete silence, for the space of perhaps half a dozen breaths. Then
came renewed groans and outcries, as the injured men felt the first
smart of their wounds, followed by a sudden wailing cry, and with one
accord the panic-stricken savages flung themselves back into their
canoes, seized their paddles, and headed for the shore in frantic haste,
being presently sped upon their way by the bullets which we poured into
their midst as long as they remained in sight.

Then, and not until then, we laid aside our weapons, mopped the
perspiration and powder grime from our streaming brows, bound up each
other's wounds, and went forward to inspect the results of Murdock's
little experiment. It had been exceedingly effective, for scattered
round the spot where the explosion had occurred we found no less than
nineteen savages, of whom eleven were dead, five were more or less
severely wounded, and three appeared to be only stunned. These three we
promptly proceeded to bind hand and foot, during which operation we
discovered that one of the trio was none other than friend Oahika, our
"bumboat man in or'nary", as the skipper had styled him. I was
especially glad that this particular rascal had fallen into our hands,
for during the progress of the fight I had frequently caught sight of
him, by the light afforded by the flash of our revolvers, a