ble, my dear fellow," said the major quietly.

As he spoke there was a sudden flash and a roar; the barricade was
driven in, and Mark felt as if something soft, but of enormous power,
drove him from his hold where he sat, so that he fell headlong into the
boat, his fall being broken by his coming down upon the men in the bows.

He was not hurt, and as he struggled up it was to see that there was
comparative darkness and a huge cloud of smoke over them; but directly
after, there was a rushing noise, and a glare of light seemed to blaze
out, showing the smoke rising red-edged and lurid, while the effect of
the explosion seemed to be that there was more food set free for the
flames.

"Help me up," said Mark excitedly. "Let me go back. They must be
killed."

"Nay, nay, my lad, it's all right," whispered the first-mate; "they're
coming down."

It was a fact, for the major slid quickly down the cotton rope, and the
captain could be seen leaning out ready to follow, as he did directly
and took his place in the boat.

"Will you give orders, or shall I?" whispered Gregory, as Mark gazed to
right and left, and then back over the stern, where his mother sat by
Mary O'Halloran, and as he looked he could see that there was a black
shadow of the ship stretching far away over the shining waters.

"Go on," said the captain; and, taking an oar to steer, the mate gave a
short order, oars were dipped, and the heavily-laden gig moved slowly
out from under the stern, the mate keeping her in the shadow as soon as
she was turned.

In the act of turning Mark caught sight of one of the praus glistening
as if gilded, and just a slighter glimpse of the second prau, while for
a minute or two all sat in silent dread of their having been seen.

But there was no yell to announce their discovery, and directly after
they were back in the shelter of the shadow, and moving steadily in the
face of a soft breeze farther and farther from the praus.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

HOW THEY FELL IN WITH GREATER PERIL.

The peril was still great, and there was the risk that at any moment
another inadvertent movement on the part of the boat, such as that made
by Mr Gregory in his ignorance of the side on which the enemy lay,
might result in discovery, for the sea glowed in the intense light shed
by the burning vessel, and the faces of all in the gig stood out so
plainly that it seemed to be only a question of moments before they were
seen.

But the mat