ied their
paddles desperately in an effort to avoid the impending collision. It
was unavailing; the canoes ahead and astern of them, confused like
themselves, and only imperfectly comprehending what their comrade would
be at, closed in upon instead of separating from them; and immediate
dire confusion was the result. When within twenty yards of them Tom
delivered the contents of his carronade; and an immediate outburst of
groans, yells, and shrieks bore testimony to the accuracy of his aim.
Before the smoke had fairly cleared away the cutter was upon them. The
big canoe nearest us had been torn nearly in halves by the discharge of
the carronade, and we swept over her almost without feeling it. The
other big fellow was, however, afloat and apparently uninjured. Another
yell of terror went up from her occupants as our sail overshadowed them;
there was a violent shock as our strong iron-bound stem crashed down
upon their gunwale; the canoe heeled over; and the cutter leaped upward
as she crushed her way through and over this second adversary.

For a few seconds we were involved in a confused medley of canoes and
wreckage, of drowning savages wildly clutching at the gunwales of the
boat in an ineffectual effort to save themselves; there was a rattling
volley of musketry, a flash or two of cutlass blades, and then away sped
the cutter once more. _We were through_.

Our carronade was quickly loaded again, but happily further destruction
of human life was unnecessary. The savages, who seemed to have depended
implicitly upon the power of their detached squadron to stop us, became
demoralised when they saw the cutter dash irresistibly through the
opposing line, and receiving at the same time very severe treatment at
the hands of the rescuing party, they broke up suddenly and beat a
precipitate retreat, each canoe seemingly striving to outdo the rest in
the speed of its flight. And thus ended victoriously for us the fight
which we had been for over forty hours maintaining against such
apparently overwhelming odds.

We soon found ourselves alongside the launch; and hearty were the
congratulations and eager the questions which were showered upon us by
her crew, quickly repeated by those of the other two boats, which joined
in almost immediately afterwards.

"You seem to have been in rather a bad fix," exclaimed Armitage, who was
in command of the boats, as he shook me heartily by the hand. "Tell us
all about it."

I