ll their
lives dearly.

"Now, sir, what is the next step?" Dimchurch asked. "You have only to give
your orders and we are ready to carry them out."

"I have thought of nothing at present," Will said. "I fancy it will be
better to allow them to make the first move, for even with the advantage
of attacking them in the dark we could hardly hope to overcome four times
our number."

"It would be a tough job certainly, sir; but if the worst comes to the
worst, we might try it."

"It must come to quite the worst, Dimchurch, before we take such a step as
that."

As evening approached, the Moors were heard descending the companion.
There was a buzz of talk, and then they came rushing forward. When they
reached the door between the fore and aft portions of the ship Will and
his men opened fire upon them, and as they poured out they were shot down.
Seven or eight fell, and then the others dashed forward. The seamen lined
the barricade and made a strenuous resistance. Cutlass clashed against
Moorish yatagan; the Moors were too crowded together to use their guns,
and as they could gather no more closely in front than the sailors stood,
they were unable to break through the barricade. At last, after many had
fallen, the rest retired. Three or four of the sailors had received more
or less severe wounds, but none were absolutely disabled. Tom Stevens had
fought pluckily among the rest, and Will was ready with his shouts of
encouragement, and a cutlass he had taken for use instead of his dirk,
wherever the pressure was most severe.

When the Moors had retired, Dimchurch and two others went outside the
barricade and piled some heavy bales against the door, after first
carrying out the dead Moors.

"They will hardly attack us that way again, sir," he said to Will; "it
will be our turn next time."

"Yes, six of their number are killed, and probably several badly wounded,
so we ought to have a good chance of success if we make a dash at them in
the dark."

They waited until night had fallen. Then Will said:

"Do you think you can lift that hatchway, Dimchurch?"

"I will have a pretty hard try anyhow," the man said. "I will roll this
tub under it; that will give me a chance of using my strength."

Although he was able to move it slightly, his utmost efforts failed to
lift it more than an inch or two.

"They have piled too many ropes on it for me, sir; but I think that if
some others will get on tubs and join me we shall be a