with her, and then,
perhaps fearing that after all their prey might escape them, the crew
hastily launched a boat and gave chase in her. But for that unlucky
wound in the head it is possible that Gaunt might have succeeded in his
plucky effort; but though the bullet inflicted but little actual damage
the blow stunned and dazed him, so that for a minute or two he scarcely
knew where he was or what he was doing. Trifling as was the amount of
time thus lost it was sufficient to ruin what little chance he
originally had; for when the punt at length grounded with a shock on the
sandy beach of the creek the Malays were scarcely a dozen yards astern
of her, and Gaunt had only just time to lift the youngsters out on the
sand, to give the hasty injunction, "Run away home, children, as fast as
ever you can," and to seize an oar in self-defence, when the enemy--nine
of them--were upon him. Of course, armed as he was with no better
weapon than a clumsy oar, he had no chance whatever against such
overwhelming odds, and though he managed to fell three of his
antagonists the fight had not lasted two minutes before his arms were
pinioned from behind, his feet tripped from under him, and himself made
a prisoner. He was quickly rolled over on his face and his arms
securely lashed behind him, when, this being satisfactorily
accomplished, his captors raised him to his feet, and, conducting him to
a tree, firmly bound him to its trunk. The idea then seemed to occur to
the Malays that possibly the children might not yet be beyond the reach
of capture, for two of them set off at a run in pursuit along the path
leading to the fort. Gaunt guessed only too surely at the object of
this sudden and hurried departure, and his heart sank with dismal
apprehension as he thought of the distance those little feet would have
to traverse ere the refuge of the fort could be won, of their liability
to become fagged and to lag upon the way, and of the fleetness of foot
displayed by their cruel pursuers when starting upon their relentless
errand. And when, from the prolonged absence of the pursuers,
apprehension was beginning to yield to a hope that the children were
safe, he was plunged into the bitterest distress by the reappearance of
one of the miscreants, roughly and cruelly dragging along by the arm his
darling and only son, Percy; the poor child crying bitterly with terror
and the ruffianly usage to which he was being subjected. Upon seeing
his