ke,
and I raised the glass to my eye again.

Still nothing but smoke. I fancied, though, that the firing was
different--quicker and sharper--as if our men must have begun too.

"Well, Mr Herrick?" now came from below. "Surely you can see how the
fight is going on?"

"No, sir, nothing but smoke,--Yes," I cried excitedly, "it's lifting
now, and floating away to the left. I can see close up to the junks.
Yes; now the decks. Our right boat is empty, and there is a great fight
going on upon the junk."

"And the other?"

"There are two boats close up, and our men are firing. There is black
smoke coming out of one boat. Now the men are climbing up, and--now,
the smoke is too thick there."

"Go on, boy; go on," shouted the first lieutenant, stamping about, while
the captain stood perfectly still, gazing at the rising smoke, from the
bridge.

"They seem to be fighting very hard, sir," I said, trembling now like a
leaf. "I can see quite a crowd, and that some of the people are in
white."

"But who is getting the best of it?"

"I can't see, sir," I said sadly.

"Then for goodness' sake come down, and let some one else come up,"
roared Mr Reardon.

"Yes, sir."

"No, no; stay where you are, boy. But use your glass--use your glass."

I tried my best, but I could only make out a blurred mass of men on
board both junks. They seemed to be swaying to and fro, and the smoke,
instead of passing off, once more grew thicker, and in place of being
white and steamy, it now looked to be of a dirty inky black, completely
enveloping the vessels and our boats.

This I reported.

"They surely cannot have set them on fire?" said Mr Reardon.

"I can't see any flames, sir."

Silence again; and we found that the firing had ceased, all but a sharp
crack from time to time, sounds evidently made by rifles. But there was
nothing more to see, and, in spite of the angry appeals of the
lieutenant, I could report no more than that the black smoke was growing
thicker, and hanging down over the water, hiding everything, to the
bushes and trees upon the bank.

And now, as I gave one glance down, I saw that the captain was walking
to and fro upon the bridge, evidently in a great state of excitement,
for there was not a sound now; the firing had quite ceased; the black
cloud seemed to have swallowed up our four boats and men; and a chilly
feeling of despair began to attack me, as I wondered whether it was
possible that our poor f