ng past our ears. A dreadful idea
occurred to me.

"Mrs Bland and Mary may be hurt, sir," I exclaimed.

"No fear of that, my lad," said the captain; "I bade them lie down under
their bedding, for I thought that the rascals might use their
fire-arms."

Just as he spoke the pirates began again to advance, though with more
caution than at first, but they had not moved many steps when the four
seamen fired, and the Kroomen, who had quickly reloaded, did the same.
This again checked the advance of the pirates, who probably did not
expect to meet with so warm a reception.

"Reserve your fire the rest of you," shouted the captain, to give the
fellows the idea that we had more men ready to receive them should they
venture to come on. Strange to say, none of our party were hit, nor, as
far as we could tell, were any of them brought to the ground.
Providentially for us, the whole of the pirates being drunk, and many of
them cowards at heart, instead of rushing forward, as we had expected
them to do, they retired to a distance, shouting and swearing at us as
they went off. I thought that Captain Bland would now send his wife and
daughter out of danger on board the "Eagle," but he considered that by
so doing the few men who remained might be overpowered, and his property
left to the mercy of the pirates.

"I don't think that the fellows will return, and if they do we must
treat them as before," he observed. "The chances are that in a short
time they will be all fast asleep. They attacked us in a drunken freak
more than with any settled plan."

For some time it appeared that he was right. He returned to the tent to
relieve the anxiety of his wife and daughter, while Medley and I mounted
guard with Pepper and Salt, telling the other men that we expected them
to relieve us in a couple of hours. Before half that time, however, had
expired, we heard the pirates again coming on. Presently, giving vent
to the most fearful shouts and shrieks, they fired a volley at us and
then came rushing on. Their voices aroused our companions, who sprang
out to our assistance, while Captain Bland, who had been on the alert,
also joined us.

"Kneel down, lads, and do not fire till I give the word," he said, in a
low voice.

We obeyed him, and scarcely had we done so than the pirates, still
shouting and shrieking, discharged their pieces, the shot, however,
flying over our heads; then on they again came, but before they got much
nearer