'-war's men, who from where they lay saw the thick undergrowth so
beaten that the outer leader of the line came within a few yards only of
the hiding-place, giving Tom May a clue to the reasons for the enemy's
return in the shape of one of the _Seafowl's_ muskets, which he held on
high as he pressed forward through the trees.

"But how could you tell?" whispered Murray, as soon as their foes had
passed. "You can't be sure, Tom, that it was one of our muskets."

"Well, no, sir, I can't be sure, but it seems to me it was one of ours;
elsewise why should he be carrying it like he was? P'raps I'm wrong,
but there he was, holding it up in a niminy piminy way, as if he felt it
was what them half-bred niggers calls a fetish as would help 'em to find
the chap as let it fall. Anyhow just harkye there! I'm blest if they
arn't coming again!"

"Yes," said Murray, after listening. "They are coming back."

"Well," said Tom May, "bad luck to 'em! There's four on us now to give
'em a shot."

"On'y three, messmate," said Titely, with a sigh. "I arn't got no gun.
That there one the whitey brown chap carried must be mine."

There was no time nor chance for further conversation respecting their
position. Nothing could be done but lie low crouching beneath the
densest part of the undergrowth in the hope of escaping the keen eyes of
the slaver's men; and twice over Murray caught sight of the man who
seemed to be the leader, who evidently attached a great deal of
importance to the gun he still carried on high, till at last, sick at
heart, the middy gave up their position as hopeless, for the
savage-looking wretch was leading his men straight for them.

Murray passed the cutlass he carried into his left hand, while he bent
over his wounded comrade and stole his right down beside him to grasp
that of Roberts.

"In case of the worst," he whispered, and he felt his brother middy's
fingers close round his own, before he snatched his hand away so as to
seize the cutlass, ready to strike at the leader of the final rush, when
as the man turned his head and shouted to his followers to come on, he
raised the musket to give it a wave in the air, but somehow caught it
amongst the twining canes, when his progress was checked, and he fell
headlong amongst the dense growth, the piece exploding with a loud
concussion, upon which the men uttered a loud yell and dashed away,
evidently under the impression that they had been attacked.

The lea