hat the report was almost simultaneous.

The smoke as it cleared away unveiled a strange scene of men running
here and there evidently in pain, others were spluttering about and
leaping in the water, others were returning hurriedly toward the prau,
while about a dozen still came on yelling with rage and brandishing
their spears.

"Now," said the major, "fire steadily--gunners only. Pistols quiet."

Two shots followed, then two more, and the effect was an instantaneous
retreat. One man dropped, but he sprang to his feet again and followed
his companions, the whole party regaining the prau and climbing aboard,
while the firing was resumed from the lelah.

"Now I call that pleasant practice, gentlemen," said the major. "Plenty
of wounded, and no one killed. It has done some good work besides, for
it has let the captain know we are all right, and ready to help. By
Saint George--and it's being a bad Irishman to take such an oath--see
that!"

"See what?" cried the mate.

"The flag, Mr Gregory. Look!" cried Mark.

For plainly enough now a signal was being made from one of the stern
windows of the ship, and as far as they could make out it was a white
cloth being waved to and fro.

"Now if we could only answer that," said the major, "it would encourage
them."

"I could answer it, sir," cried Mark.

"How, my lad?"

"Give me a big handkerchief, and I'll climb up that tree and tie it to
one of those branches."

"Capital, my lad," said the major. "But, no; risky."

"They could not hit me, sir," cried Mark; "and it's like taking no
notice of my father's signals to do nothing."

"I think he might risk it, major," said Gregory.

"All right, then, my lad. Go on."

Mark started, and after a struggle reached an enormous pandanus, one of
the many-branched screw-pines. It was not a very suitable tree for a
signal staff, and there were cocoa palms and others of a far more
appropriate kind, but these were unclimbable without notches being
prepared for the feet, whereas the pandanus offered better facility.

Still it was no easy task, and it was made the more difficult by the
fact that the Malays began firing at him with their brass gun, a fact
enough to startle the strongest nerves.

But Mark recalled for his own encouragement the fact that the major had
laughingly announced the spot at which the enemy aimed as being the
safest, and so he climbed on till about thirty feet above the ground he
managed to attach