and steerage passengers,
finding themselves unable to resist the pressure, made their way up to
the poop by the starboard ladder, hotly pressed by the natives.

By this time several of the male passengers who had rushed below for
their weapons ran up, and Wilfred and the Allens having reloaded, such a
discharge was poured into the natives on the port ladder that the
survivors leapt down on to the deck below, and the attack for a moment
ceased. The whole of the forward portion of the ship was by this time
in the hands of the natives. Three sailors who were at work there had
been at once murdered, only one of the party having time to make his
escape up the fore rigging. Spears now began to fly fast over the poop.

"We must fall back a bit, Mr. Rawlins, or we shall be riddled," Mr.
Atherton said. "Your men had better run down and get muskets; we will
keep these fellows at bay. I do not think they will make a rush again
just at present. Will you see that the door leading out on to the waist
is securely barricaded, and place two or three men there? Mr. Renshaw,
will you and some of the other passengers carry down those ladies who
have fainted, and assure them all that the danger is really over."

Mr. Atherton had so naturally taken the command that the second mate at
once obeyed his instructions. Most of the ladies had rushed below
directly the fray began, but two or three had fainted, and these were
soon carried below. The male passengers, eighteen in all, were now on
deck. Several of them looked very pale and scared, but even the most
timid felt that his life depended on his making a fight for it. A
perfect shower of spears were now flying over the poop from the natives
in the canoes alongside, and from the ship forward.

"We had best lie down, gentlemen," Mr. Atherton said. "If the natives
make a rush up the ladders we must be careful not to fire all at once or
we should be at their mercy. Let those by the bulwarks fire first, and
the others take it up gradually while the first reload. Of course if
they make a really determined rush there will be nothing to do but to
meet them and drive them back again."

Unfortunately the four cannon of the _Flying Scud_ were all amidships,
and were therefore not available for the defence.

"If we could make a breastwork, Mr. Atherton, so that we could stand up
behind it and fire down into the waist we might drive these fellows
out," the second officer suggested.

"A very good id