s accompanied a shower of stones and refuse.

"That's their way o' showing how werry much obliged they are to us for
sinking the pirates," growled Tom Jecks. "Oh, don't I wish we had
orders to bombard this blessed town! Go it! That didn't hit you, did
it, sir?"

"No, it only brushed my cap," I said, as the stones began to come more
thickly, and the shouting told of the keen delight the mob enjoyed in
making the English retreat. "Pull away, my lads, and throw the grapnel
over as soon as we are out of reach."

"But we don't want to pull away, sir. They thinks we're fear'd on 'em.
There's about a hundred on 'em--dirty yaller-faced beggars, and there's
four o' us, without counting you. Just you give the word, sir, and
we'll row back in spite o' their stones, and make the whole gang on 'em
run. Eh, mates?"

"Ay, ay!" said the others, lying on their oars.

"Pull!" I cried sharply, and they began rowing again; for though I
should have liked to give the word, I knew that it would not only have
been madness, but disobedience of orders. My duty was to take care of
the boat, and this I was doing by having it rowed out beyond
stone-throwing reach, with the Union Jack waving astern; and as soon as
the stones fell short, and only splashed the water yards away, I had the
grapnel dropped overboard, and we swung to it, waiting for the captain's
return.

The men sat chewing their tobacco, lolling in the sun, and I lay back
watching the crowd at the edge of the water, wondering how long the
captain and his escort would be, and whether the prisoners would be
given up.

"Hope none o' them pigtailed varmint won't shy mud at the skipper," said
one of the men, yawning.

"I hope they will," said Tom Jecks.

"Why, mate?"

"'Cause he'll order the jollies to fix bayonets and feel some o' their
backs with the p'ints."

The conversation interested me, and I forgot my dignity as an officer,
and joined in.

"Bayonets make bad wounds, Jecks," I said.

"Yes, sir, they do; nasty three-side wounds, as is bad to get healed up
again. They aren't half such a nice honest weapon as a cutlash. But I
should like to see them beggars get a prod or two."

"It might mean trouble, Jecks, and a big rising of the people against
the English merchants and residents."

"Well, sir, that would be unpleasant for the time, but look at the good
it would do! The British consul would send off to the _Teaser_, the
skipper would land a lot on us--J