our small culverins and several light wall
pieces. Two of the culverins were placed on the cliff, one at each
side of the path, so as to command the landing. Two others were
placed on the roof of the castle, which was flat and terraced. The
wall pieces were also cleaned, and placed in position at the
corners of the walls; and the boys, having seen that the musketoons
and arquebuses of the garrison were in excellent order, and ready
for service, felt that all had been done that was possible to
prepare for an attack.

The day before the full moon a sentinel was placed at the cliff,
with orders to bring word instantly to the castle, in case any
craft were seen coming from Ternate, the distance from the cliff to
the house being about a mile. A short time after daybreak, next
morning, the sentry arrived at full speed, saying that a great
fleet of canoes was visible.

Hurrying to the spot with the governor, the lads made out that the
approaching flotilla consisted of eighteen great war canoes, each
of which, crowded as it was, might contain a hundred men; and in
addition to these were a large number of smaller craft. The
invading force, therefore, would considerably exceed two thousand
men.

Reuben had the command of a gun at one side, Tom at the other, and
these now loaded and sighted their pieces, so as to pour a volley
of case shot into the canoes when they arrived within a quarter of
a mile from shore.

The canoes came along in a dense body, as close together as they
could paddle, their rowers filling the air with defiant yells. When
they reached the spot upon which the guns had been trained Tom
fired his piece, and its roar was answered by wild screams and
yells from the crowded fleet. Reuben followed suit, and the
destruction wrought by the gnus was at once manifest. Three of the
great canoes were broken to pieces, and their occupants swimming in
the water climbed into the others, among which also a great many
men had been wounded.

The effect of this reception upon the valor of the natives was very
speedy. Without a moment's delay they backed off, and were soon
seen making out of range of the guns, like a troop of wild fowl
scattered by the shot of a fowler.

"They have a horror of cannon," the governor said, exultingly, as
he witnessed their departure. "If we had a few more pieces, I
should have no fear of the result."

The dispersal of the canoes continued only until they thought that
they were out of ran