STRUCK--SEVERAL PEOPLE KILLED AND WOUNDED--GETS CLEAR AT LAST.

The night was calm, the brig lay on the Entre Rios shore, the
inhabitants of which were friendly. Tall trees clothed the bank,
towering high above her masts, while on the southern shore scarcely a
tree was to be seen. A mist hung over the water, and, though the stars
shone brightly from the sky overhead, partly obscured that side of the
river, and rendered the night darker than usual. Jack and Terence had
enjoyed a couple of hours of sound sleep, "not idling their time over
it," as Adair observed, when the sound of a gun made them both leap out
of their berths. It was followed by another and another. The next
moment Bevan came down.

"They are firing at us, sir, from the shore," he said. "Shall we return
it?"

"Not till the shots come unpleasantly near," answered Jack. "The flash
of our guns might show them the proper range, which at present they do
not appear to have got. Turn up the hands, but show no lights."

Meantime the enemy continued firing, the shot occasionally passing close
ahead or astern. At last one cut the fore-topmast-stay, a second
whistled between the masts, two others followed at a short distance
ahead.

"They have got the range now," cried Jack; "it is time to reply to
them."

Long Tom was brought to bear on the spot whence the flashes proceeded,
for the guns themselves could not be seen. His first bark, as Needham
called it, was replied to by several shots, but they did no damage.

"Depress the gun slightly; that shot went over them," said Jack.

Long Tom gave a second bark; no reply came; a third and fourth followed.
It was evident that the shot had told with considerable effect, and
that the enemy had thought it wiser to beat a retreat.

"We have done with them at present," observed Jack; "but we shall
probably have a good deal of this sort of work going up the river. The
rockets with which we have been supplied will come into play, I
suspect."

"At all events the trip is not likely to be a dull one," observed Adair;
"I only wish that we had the youngsters on board."

As there appeared no probability of the brig being again attacked, the
guns were secured, and the watch below turned in. Of course, every
possible care was kept to prevent surprise, should the enemy venture to
make another attack; which was not, however, at all likely to occur.

The next morning the wind again set up the river, and the _Supplej