rtunately the cartridge for the smaller guns seemed to be holding out
satisfactorily; and while Frobisher had been investigating the matter of
the larger cartridge his men had made so good practice with them and
their rifles that the third junk was already in a sinking condition.
Even as he looked she disappeared like her consorts to the bottom, in a
swirl of broken water, dotted with the forms of struggling pirates.

The one big gun being now useless, and the _Su-chen_ herself in a very
parlous condition, it was obviously out of the question to think of
attempting to conclude the fight by means of the light guns and
small-arms alone; the ship would not float long enough for that. Some
other plan of action must therefore be adopted, and Frobisher gave his
attention to the idea for a few minutes. Then he resolved upon a scheme
which, though extremely hazardous, seemed to offer the best, if not the
only, hope of success. It was a case of either destroying the pirates
or being destroyed himself together with his crew; and of the two he
naturally preferred that the sufferers should be the pirates. To
explain his intentions it would be necessary, however, to call in the
assistance of the interpreter, otherwise he could never hope to make the
men comprehend exactly what was required--and his every hope of success
hinged upon this.

He therefore went in search of Quen-lung, whom he eventually found,
after a prolonged hunt, hiding, in an almost fainting condition,
underneath the bunk in the first lieutenant's cabin, and dragged him
forcibly on deck. He was obliged to give the terrified man a stiff dose
of raki to bring him to a condition to understand what was being said to
him; then, the fellow finally coming in some degree to his senses,
Frobisher explained to him the plan of campaign, and ordered him to
translate it to the men.

There being now but two junks left, it was the Englishman's intention to
run the _Su-chen_ up stream and in between them, firing as she went.
Then boarding parties, headed respectively by himself and the first
lieutenant, were to leap on to the decks of the junks, drive the crews
overboard--not below--cut the cables, fire the vessels, and send them
adrift down stream with the current. The _Su-chen_ would then be free
to turn her entire attention to the fort. She would anchor in the berth
vacated by the junks, and endeavour to silence the fire of the fort with
her remaining guns. If this cou