ght shot to rebound from the surface of the water
and strike a plate amidships. The loud clang of the metal was hailed
by the Alaculofs with shouts of delight. Probably they had no fixed
idea of the distance the tiny projectiles would carry. Joey began to
bark furiously, and the Indians imitated him. The hammer-like blow of
the bullet, the defiance of the dog, and the curiously accurate yelping
of the men in the canoes, mixed in wild medley with the volleyed echoes
of the firing now rolled back from the opposing cliffs. In such wise
did the battle open. Courtenay, more amused than anxious, did not
silence the terrier, and Joey's barking speedily rose to a shrill and
breathless hysteria. Some savage, more skilled than his fellows,
reproduced this falsetto with marvelous exactness. There never was a
death struggle heralded by such grotesque humor; it might have been a
tragedy of marionettes, a Dutch concert on the verge of the pit.

The long-range firing was kept up for several minutes, much to
Courtenay's relief, as Suarez was certain that the Indians' stock of
cartridges did not amount to more than four hundred at the utmost. The
canoes crept gradually nearer, and bullets began to strike the ship
frequently. One glanced off a davit and shattered a couple of windows
in the chart-house. This incident aroused even greater enthusiasm than
the first blow of the attack. There was renewed activity among the
paddle wielders. Two canoes were not fifty yards from the most
southerly floating mine. Courtenay commenced to haul in the slack of
one among the half-dozen thin cords: he turned to tell Suarez to be
ready for the duty which had been entrusted to him, when his glance
happened to travel towards the mouth of the bay.

Then he learnt the significance of that column of smoke on the northern
point. A fleet of at least forty canoes was advancing on the ship from
the sea. Tide and paddles were swinging the small craft along at a
spanking pace. They were already much nearer the vessel than the first
batch of Indians, who had very cleverly contrived to enlist the
attention of the defenders while the real attack was developing without
let or hindrance. It was a smart ruse, worthy of a race of higher
attainments than the tribe which is ranked lowest in the human scale.
During long days of patient watching, they had probably estimated to a
nicety the number of men on board. They reasoned that a show of force
to the