stern, and the men swarmed on
to the top of the load, and began to pass down the bales rapidly from
hand to hand.

Crash came a ragged volley from right ahead now; but this was answered
by three rifles in the stern of the laden boat, and repeated again and
again, while the strong party in the stern of ours kept up a fierce fire
for a few minutes.

It was a perilous time, for we knew that if the enemy pushed forward
boldly we should be at their mercy. They could come right to the edge
of the bank unseen, so dense was the cover; and, working as our men were
at such a disadvantage in the gloom, which was rapidly growing deeper,
there was no knowing how long it would be before the first boat was
sufficiently lightened to float again; it even seemed to be possible
that we might not keep pace with the fall of the tide, and then perhaps
we should also be aground.

"Hurt much, sir?" I said to Mr Reardon, who was now seated resting his
head upon his hand.

"Don't take any notice of me, my lad," he said, pressing my hand. "Hit
by a bullet. Not very bad; but I'm half stunned and confused. The men
and boats, Herrick; save them."

"If I can," I thought, as I hurried forward again, and gave orders to
the men to pass the silk bales that were nearest to the bows.

"Ay, ay, sir," they shouted, as readily as if I had been the captain.

From here I went back to the stern, where I found that Mr Reardon was
seated now in the bottom of the boat, supported by Ching, while the men
were keeping up a steady fire at every spot from which a shot or yell
came.

"We're hard at it, sir," said Tom Jecks, who was handling his rifle as
coolly as if it had been a capstan bar; "but I don't think we're hitting
any of 'em. How's the first luff seem?"

"I don't know," I said excitedly.

"Well, sir, we're all right," said the man, "and are doing our best.
You needn't stop if you can hurry the boys on forward."

It was a fact; I could do no good at all, so I hurried forward again.
But even here I could do nothing; the men had their task to do of
lightening the first boat, and they were working as hard as if they had
been lying down in the shade all day, and just as coolly, though every
now and then the rough slugs the pirates fired from their clumsy
matchlocks went spattering through the trees overhead and sent down
fresh showers of leaves and twigs.

But I was obliged to say something, and I shouted first one order and
then another.