e
cabin their captain and the men so sorely pressed, these two suddenly
dashed into the fray, each going to a hole and firing rapidly.

This checked the Malays for the time, but they came on again, and when
the major joined in with a couple of shots from his little rifle the
fight was still furiously raging.

Suddenly, however, just as the barriers were giving way, and every
opening seemed to bristle with spears, there was a terrible shout, and
the attack ceased.

"Failure of the rear movement, cease firing ordered from the front,"
said the major quietly. "Now we shall have time to repair damages."

"Ah, major," cried the captain, "if I could only be as cool as you!" and
he wrung his hand.

"My dear Strong, you are a regular lion," replied the major. "You were
getting hard pressed there."

"And you were as calm as if nothing were the matter."

"Way to win, my dear sir: way to win; but I say, between ourselves,
things were looking ugly just then."

"I believe you saved us--you," said Morgan.

"Humph!" replied the major. "It's my belief, sir, that if those
scoundrels had not let themselves be damped by the failure of the plan,
and had kept on, we should have been all prisoners by now. Or--"

"I understand you," said the captain gravely. "Well, we must still
hope."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

HOW THE MAJOR GAVE HIS ADVICE.

As the major and Captain Strong hurried into the ladies' cabin on the
cessation of the fighting it was to find them all ready, even to Mary,
with bandages and pieces of linen to staunch the blood and help the poor
fellows who had been wounded in their service; while as soon as Mark
found that his services were no longer required as distributor of
ammunition, he got together refreshments, and without being told handed
them round to the wearied and bleeding sailors.

The food and the kindly words of sympathy they received seemed to put
heart into the men, who had been ready to give up as soon as the rage
and excitement of the fighting was over, but now they strung themselves
up and patted their bandages, as if proud of having received them in the
ladies' defence; though as the men grew more cheery the captain grew
more serious.

"We shall have hard work to get through this afternoon," he said to the
major, who lit a cigar and smoked as coolly as if there were no pirates
for a hundred miles.

"No, you will not," was the blunt reply.

"Why, the savage wretches are swarming upon the d