get to cottage at all. Come back."

The lad submitted without a word, though it seemed to him maddening to
give up when they were so near that every flash was quite plain, and he
fully expected to hear himself hailed.

They seemed to him then to have crept exactly into the centre of the
firing, and every whizzing whistle sounded as if it must be coming
straight for its billet that would end one of their careers; but the
moments passed on with the marvel growing more strange that they escaped
being laid low; and then the excitement came suddenly to an end, when
Caesar literally snatched the lad to earth and the big slave subsided
with a low sigh of relief which indicated that he had sunk down too with
his silent burden, to lie listening to the cross fire which still went
on above their heads, till all at once a familiar voice shouted--

"Now, my lads, all together, forward! Let them have it!"

The order thrilled through Murray's breast, and seemed to rouse Roberts,
helpless as he was, to action.

"Hurrah!" cried the midshipman, as he sprang to his feet, followed by
his wounded comrade, who staggered for a moment or two, and then fell,
clutching at Murray, dragging him down upon his less active comrade,
just as there was a rush of feet, the crackling of wood, and the minute
later a fierce yell of raging voices, and the sailors who had responded
to the first lieutenant's call were borne back again by four times their
number and driven as far as the entrance to the cottage, where they
stood fast and delivered a little volley, which sent their enemies to
the right-about, giving them time to barricade themselves again and hold
the entrance fast.

"Answer to your names there," panted the lieutenant, who was breathless
with his exertions. "What's that?" he cried directly after.
"Prisoners! Two of them?"

"Four, sir," growled a deep voice. "Two black fellows, sir, and here's
two youngsters, sir, as far as I can make out. One of 'em's wounded,
sir."

"Well, we don't want prisoners," cried the lieutenant, "but we must take
them. See that you bind them fast."

"We don't want binding, sir," gasped Murray. "We've got away from the
enemy and reached you at last."

"Mr Murray! This is grand!" cried the chief officer. "But have you
seen anything of poor Roberts?"

"I've got him here, sir, but he's badly wounded."

"And we've no doctor with us."

"I don't think it's dangerous, sir; but have you had any news of M