lieutenant,--"we've all
our work cut out for us!"

In truth they had; still, although only just out of one fight, in which
some two or three had already lost their lives, and several were
severely wounded, the blue-jackets under their gallant officer, who had
already won the Victoria Cross for his bravery, ably seconded by Captain
Morton and Mr Scuppers, and the crew of the _Hankow Lin_ set to work to
prepare for a fresh struggle with all the alacrity and glee of
schoolboys going out for an unexpected holiday.

The conquered Lascars were tightly bound, and then tumbled below, the
hatch being secured over them; and all then set to work to unload the
heavy hogsheads which had caused the tar such uneasiness on account of
their cumbering his decks, when they had first been shipped on board at
Canton, some ten days before.

"There, Jem!" said the boatswain, as the staves of the first cask were
knocked to pieces, and a nine-pounder Armstrong gun disclosed in all its
ship-shape nicety. "There, didn't I tell you that the skipper had his
head screwed on straight?"

"Aye, aye, bo, right you were," answered the brawny foretopman as he
knocked in the head of another hogshead. "I'll never doubt him again,
you be sure."

There were four guns altogether, and the two other casks contained their
ammunition, and spare rifles for the _Hankow Lin's_ crew.

These cannon the lieutenant now caused to be loaded heavily with grape-
shot, and placed at the midship ports to windward, on the side that the
pirate was approaching; the ports still kept closed, but everything
ready for raising them, and running out the guns to command the
schooner's deck when she got alongside.

The hands were then mustered. Captain Morton, Mr Scuppers, the
lieutenant, and Jack Harper had escaped without a scratch on the part of
the officers; but Mr Sprott, the second mate, had a cut across his face
from a Malay crease, which caused him considerable pain, and undoubtedly
spoiled his beauty; although the brave fellow refused to be put on the
list of the non-fighters. Amongst the men, two blue-jackets were killed
outright, as well as Phillips, the ship's carpenter of the _Hankow Lin_;
while one blue-jacket was wounded severely, and two slightly, as well as
another of the ship's regular hands.

Altogether, their defensive force consisted now, therefore, of the
lieutenant, captain, and three other officers--for Sprott would fight,
and Jack Harper was quite a