ten paces distance, had a
deadly effect. The blacks paused for a moment, and the rescuing
party, led by George Lechmere and Dominique, rushed at them. The
sailors' pistols cracked out, and then they charged, cutlass in
hand.

For a moment the blacks stood, but the fierce attack was too much
for them, and they again fled to the village.

"Stop, Dominique!" Frank shouted, for the big pilot, who had
already cut down three of his opponents, was hotly pursuing them.
"We must make for the path at once."

Chapter 18.

In a couple of minutes they had gained it.

"Anyone hurt?" Frank asked.

One of the boatmen had an arm broken by a bullet, and two of the
sailors had received spear wounds at the hands of the villagers.
They were not serious, however, and leaving George Lechmere to
cover the rear, they started up the path; Dominique, as usual,
leading the way, Frank following behind him with Bertha, who had
hitherto not spoken a word.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked now, in a tone of bewilderment. "Is it
really you, Frank?"

"You are not dreaming, dear, and it is certainly I--Frank Mallett.
Now tell me how you got on."

"As well as might be, Frank, but it was a terrible time. Please do
not talk about it yet. But how is it that you are here? It seems a
miracle.

"Oh, how ill you are looking! And your arm is in a sling, too."

"That is nothing," he said; "merely a broken collarbone. As to my
looking ill, you must remember, I have had almost as anxious a time
as you."

"Then it was the Osprey, after all," she exclaimed, suddenly, "that
we saw the last day that we were out sailing. We were on deck, and
I was not noticing--I did not notice much then--when Anna said to
me, 'That looks like an English yacht, miss. I am sure Mr. Carthew
thinks she is chasing us.'

"Then I got up and looked round. I could not see for certain, but
it did look like a yacht, and I thought that it was about the size
of the Osprey. Those two men were standing with their backs to us
looking at it through their glasses, and Carthew happened to turn
round and saw me standing up, and at once said: 'You must go below.
I believe that is a pirate chasing us.'

"I said that it was nothing to me if it was. One pirate was just as
good as another. Then he said that if I would not go down he should
be obliged to use force, and called four men aft. So as it was of
no use resisting, we went down. Presently we felt that the course
had been changed. Late