th completed my task, I rejoined the little group upon the
poop. I saw that the boats had already pushed off from the junk, and
were pulling at a good pace toward the opening in the reef, while the
junk herself had filled away again, and was beating up in the same
direction.

"There are three boats, Walter, as you see," said Mrs Vansittart,
handing over the telescope to me; "and if you look at them carefully
through the glass you will also see that they are crowded with men--at
least twenty in each boat, I should say. I dare say you will also
notice, as I did, the glint of the sun upon many weapons; and, unless I
am very greatly mistaken, each boat has a gun mounted in her bows. I am
afraid there can be no possible doubt as to the intentions of those
men."

"No," I agreed, as I raised the telescope to my eye; "no doubt whatever.
They mean to wipe us out if they can, and then plunder the wreck. But
they will not do that while I am alive and able to resist them. Now," I
continued, "you two ladies have each a revolver, and so have the
stewardesses. They are fully loaded; and I have already explained to
Miss Anthea why I have given them to you. I most fervently hope that
there will be no need for you to use them in that way; but should there
be--and one never knows; I may be bowled over and killed, or rendered
helpless by a shot or a pike-thrust--I implore you not to hesitate too
long. It would be infinitely better that you should die instantly and
painlessly by a well-directed pistol shot than that you should fall
alive into the hands of a crew of Chinese pirates."

The colour ebbed away from the cheeks of Mrs Vansittart and her
daughter as I uttered the concluding words, but I saw a look of firmness
and determination tightening about their lips while the elder lady said:

"Have no fear for us, Walter. I hope, with you, that we may not be
driven to any such desperate step; but should we be, we both have
courage enough to take it, and so, I think, have the two maids."

"Thank you!" I replied. "It is a relief to me to hear you speak so
bravely. But do not act, I pray you, until the very last moment--until
it has become clear beyond all question that everything is lost. Now,
since those boats are within easy range, I will just give them a hint
that we want to have nothing to do with them, and that they had better
keep their distance."

I swung myself down off the poop on to the main-deck, and, running to
t