ter of some trees, whence they opened a
hot fire from matchlocks and gingalls. Rhymer ordered his men to fire
in return, but their exposed position on the bank of the river, and
their inferior numbers, rendered the combat unequal.

Rhymer, who was as brave as most men, at first hoped to drive the enemy
from their shelter, but he soon saw that he might lose many of his men
in the attempt, and that his only prudent course was to get on board and
shove off as fast as possible. Three of his men had already been hit;
should he remain longer the crew might be so weakened as to be unable to
pull the boat down the river. Charley, who had run the boat in ready to
receive them when he saw them coming, was dismayed at not discovering
Ned among the party.

"Where is Mr Garth?" he exclaimed. "Have none of you seen him?"

Rhymer repeated the question.

Dick Morgan was the only man who could answer it: he replied that he had
last set eyes on him while trying to induce the blacks to return to the
dhow.

"Have they killed him, do you think?" asked Charley, in a tone which
showed his anxiety.

"Can't say, sir; but if not, it is more than likely that those Arab
fellows have got hold of him, and I'm afraid they'll not be treating him
over well."

Just then, however, there was no time to make further inquiries. The
first thing to be done was to get out of reach of the Arabs' matchlocks.

Rhymer gave the word to shove off, and the boat pulled away from the
bank. He was vexed at the utter failure of the enterprise, and the
blame which might be attributed to him for the loss of Ned. He might
still, however, destroy the dhow. The Arabs, well aware of the long
range of the boat's gun, were still keeping at a distance. There would
be time to get up to the dhow and to set her on fire. Rhymer
accordingly steered in where she lay, with the boat's gun ready to send
a shot into the midst of any party who might venture to show themselves.
Almost before the Arabs were aware of what was intended, the boat was
up to the dhow, matches had been got ready, and the seamen springing on
board, in less than a minute had set her on fire fore and aft. The
combustible materials with which she was fitted quickly blazed up, and
her destruction was inevitable. The men leapt back into the boat, which
now pulled away out of gun-shot into the middle of the stream.

"Surely we are not to leave Garth without going to look for him!"
exclaimed Charley.