to move," he said, springing to his feet. "Steady ahead. More.
Let her have it."

The native grinned. He wiped his hands with a piece of waste extracted
from his pocket, and then opened the throttle. And once he had the
launch moving at full speed he leaned back in contentment, watching his
master with one eye, while with the other he looked at the smoke curling
up from his pipe.

An hour later, as they swung round a bend in the river, and came into a
long, straight stretch, a cry of amazement escaped them. The water on
the left bank was black with native craft, while the hubbub of some
thousands of voices came to their ears. But that was as nothing to the
shouts which greeted the appearance of the launch when she came into the
straight. There was a deafening burst of shouting. Tom-toms and drums
were beaten in all directions, while the deep note of many a native
war-horn was heard. For crossing the stream was one division of King
Koffee's army, _en route_ for the Fanti country. And of this division,
amounting to some ten thousand men, not more than a tenth were on the
water, for there were insufficient boats within a radius of many miles
to carry more. The passage was being made by detachments, and the first
crossing had just commenced. That there were more of the warriors
ashore Dick quickly learned, for if there had been shouting from the men
on the water, the noise from the jungle was vastly more pronounced. And
then the firing commenced, though the launch was beyond the range of the
cheap, Birmingham-made guns owned by the natives. Still, the loud
reports issuing from the bush were sufficient to show what was
happening, while any doubt that there could possibly have been was set
at rest by the manner in which the surface of the river was struck and
thrashed by the bullets. They splashed in all directions, bullets
ricocheting and screaming, slugs and buck-shot of native manufacture
dropping heavily into the water, while the numerous pebbles which were
fired sank out of sight at once.

Dick smiled grimly, once he had overcome his first feelings of
consternation and astonishment. He stretched out from his position at
the tiller and caught up a rifle. Another movement and he had three of
the weapons at hand, for there was a good supply on board. And while he
held the tiller between his knees, he jerked cartridges into the
breeches. As for Johnnie, his mouth had opened in one vast expression
of as