nimous
villain refused to expose a limb above the gunwale.

Fain now would the pursuers have made good their escape; but an
accident forbade. In the careening of the boat, when the stricken
Cholo sprung overboard, two of their oars had slid into the water;
and together with that death-griped by the half-breed, were now
floating off; occasionally lost to view, as they sunk in the trough
of the sea. Two of the Islanders swam to recover them; but frightened
by the whirring of a shot over their heads, as they unavoidably
struck out towards the Parki, they turned quickly about; just
in time to see one of their comrades smite his body with his hand, as
he received a bullet from Samoa.

Enough: darting past the ill-fated boat, they swam rapidly for land,
followed by the rest; who plunged overboard, leaving in the boat the
surviving Cholo--who it seems could not swim--the wounded savage, and
the dead man.

"Load away now, and take thy revenge, my fine fellow," said Samoa to
himself. But not yet. Seeing all at his mercy, and having none, he
quickly laid his fore-topsail to the mast; "hove to" the brigantine;
and opened fire anew upon the boat; every swell of the sea heaving it
nearer and nearer. Vain all efforts to escape. The wounded man
paddled wildly with his hands the dead one rolled from side to side;
and the Cholo, seizing the solitary oar, in his frenzied
heedlessness, spun the boat round and round; while all the while shot
followed shot, Samoa firing as fast as Annatoo could load. At length
both Cholo and savage fell dead upon their comrades, canting the boat
over sideways, till well nigh awash; in which manner she drifted off.

CHAPTER XXIII
Sailing From The Island They Pillage The Cabin

There was a small carronade on the forecastle, unshipped from its
carriage, and lashed down to ringbolts on the deck. This Samoa now
loaded; and with an ax knocking off the round knob upon the breech,
rammed it home in the tube. When, running the cannon out at one of
the ports, and studying well his aim, he let fly, sunk the boat, and
buried his dead.

It was now late in the afternoon; and for the present bent upon
avoiding land, and gaining the shoreless sea, never mind where, Samoa
again forced round his craft before the wind, leaving the island
astern. The decks were still cumbered with the bodies of the
Lahineese, which heel to point and crosswise, had, log-like, been
piled up on the main-hatch. These, one by one, we