th, the
sides forty. Morning was breaking as the work was finished, and bread
and cold meat were served out, with a full ration of grog. By the time
these were consumed it was broad daylight; for there is little twilight
so near the equator.

"Now for it, Dick," Harry Parkhurst said, as the lieutenant gave the
signal for all to rise and take their places. Filing out of the battery,
the marines lined the bank on one side, and the sailors, other than
those who were to work the guns, on the other. Some of the sailors
climbed over the front wall and with their jackknives cut away the
boughs in front of the guns. There was silence on board the prahus,
where the Malays had dropped off to sleep a couple of hours before
daylight. Mr. Ferguson himself superintended the laying of the guns,
seeing that each was most carefully trained upon the waterline of a
prahu. As the distance was some seventy or eighty yards, he had little
doubt that the two vessels aimed at would be sunk at once. When he was
thoroughly satisfied, he drew back and gave the order to fire.

The two reports sounded as if one, and were mingled with the explosion
of shells as they struck the prahus exactly on the waterline. There was
a momentary silence, and then a wild hubbub of yells of surprise and
fury, while a loud cheer broke from the British, as they saw the success
of the shots. Almost instantly the two craft struck began to settle
down, and in a minute disappeared, the water being covered with the
heads of the crew, who were swimming to the other prahus. The guns
of these had evidently been kept loaded, for before the two eighteen
pounders were again ready, a fire was opened by the four craft, one or
two balls striking the sandbags, while the rest went crashing into the
forest behind. Every shot from the British guns struck the prahus, but
none effected such damage as the first two fired.

"They are taking to their boats, Ferguson," the doctor, who was standing
beside him, said.

"Yes, but I fancy they have no thought of giving it up at present; they
are going to make a dash at us. They can still work their guns and spare
any amount of men to attack us."

The next minute, indeed, a dozen boats, crammed with men, shot round
from behind the prahus.

"Grape now," the lieutenant ordered, while, at the same moment, the
marines and seamen, who had hitherto been silent, opened fire from under
the bushes, beneath which they were enabled to obtain a view of