the vessels, they would have blazed up
directly.

"Can't you see the boats yet?" cried the first lieutenant impatiently,
and his voice sounded as if he were blaming me.

"No, sir, but the junks are more out in the middle of the stream. I can
see them quite clearly now, away from the trees. They are crowded with
men, and--"

"The boats--the boats?"

"No, sir;--yes, hurrah! There they go, sir, all abreast, straight for
the junks."

"Ha!" came in one long heavy breath from below, as if all left on board
had suddenly given vent to their pent-up feelings.

"How far are they away from the junks?" cried Mr Reardon.

"About two hundred yards, sir; you'll see them directly."

"Yes, I see them now, sir," cried Barkins, who was a little way up the
mizzen-shrouds, where I had not seen him before.

"Silence!" cried the captain sternly. "Go on, Mr Herrick; report."

"Smoke from the junks, sir--white," I cried, and the words were hardly
out of my mouth when there came the report of guns--first one and then
another; then two together; and I fancied that I could see the water
splashing up round about the boats, but I could not be sure.

"Boats separating," I shouted.

"Go on."

"Pulling hard for the junks."

"Yes, go on; report everything."

I needed no orders, for I was only too eager to tell everything I saw.

"Two boats have gone to the right; two to the left.--More firing from
the junks.--Boats separating more.--Two going round behind.--Both out of
sight."

By this time, in addition to the sharp reports of the small guns on
board the junks, the sharper crackle of matchlocks and muskets had
begun; but so far I had not seen a puff of smoke from our boats.

"Are our men firing?"

"No, sir; the two boats I can see are pulling straight now for the
junks.--Now the water splashes all about them."

"Yes? Hit?"

"Don't think so, sir.--Now.--Ah!"

"What--what is it, boy?"

"Can't see anything, sir; they've rowed right into the smoke."

My hands which held the telescope were quite wet now with the excitement
of the scene I had tried to describe to my superior officer, and I
thrust the glass under my left arm, and rubbed them quickly on my
handkerchief, as I gazed at the distant smoke, and listened to the
crackle of musketry alone, for the guns had now ceased from fire.

This I felt must be on account of the boats coming to closer quarters,
and then to the men boarding. But I could see nothing but the smo