d descent.
I naturally expected that Cunningham would open fire upon them
forthwith; but he did not, for he was at the moment busily reloading the
discharged weapons--moreover, it appeared that he had a better plan.

At that moment the savages were moving so rapidly and so erratically as
they swung down the cliff face that accurate shooting would have been
exceedingly difficult; but the instant that the first native reached the
beach and paused for a second to seize a club and a handful of spears
from those which had been cast down from the summit of the cliff, the
engineer, lying prone on the deck, with his weapon resting on the low
rail of the schooner's bulwarks, covered him, and the next instant the
shot rang out and the man toppled over, mortally hit. Then Cunningham
passed the empty weapon back to Simpson, receiving a loaded one in its
stead, and in like manner bowled over the second and third of the
savages who reached the beach. But this could not last long, as I could
easily see upon reaching his side, for the savages were now swarming
down the cliff so rapidly and in such numbers that it was impossible to
load the guns quickly enough to cope with them. As Murdock and I dashed
forward and joined the other two in the eyes of the schooner I saw that
about a dozen of the savages had reached the beach unhurt, and were at
that instant gathering themselves together to make a combined rush.

"Now, lads," said I, "this is where our revolvers are going to come in
useful. Wait until they arrive within twenty yards of us, and then open
upon them with the `barkers'; but don't get excited and fire wild,
whatever you do--we must make every shot tell. And--Hurrah, my
hearties, there go the spur shores!" as I heard them clatter down and
felt a sudden tremor thrill through the schooner. "Now, look out, here
they come! Watch for the men who pause to hurl their spears, and do
your best to bowl them over. She's moving, lads, she's moving! Hurrah!
Another minute and we shall be afloat. Now, look out, and give 'em
beans! Here they come!"

Yes; they were coming with a vengeance, not only the dozen who formed as
it were the vanguard of the rush, but some twenty or thirty more, who in
the course of a few seconds had flung themselves down from the rocks to
the soft, yielding sand below, while others were following down the
cliff face at breakneck speed. They came running and leaping down the
beach in pursuit of the now fas