the attack made on
the small party of sailors, and observed the fall of Mr Mason.

"Thorwald to the rescue!" shouted Gascoyne, in a voice that rolled deep
and loud over the whole field like the roar of a lion.

"Ay, ay, my noisy stranger; it's easy for your tough limbs to carry you
up the hill," gasped Ole, "but the weight of ten or fifteen years will
change your step. Hurrah!"

The cry of the bold Norseman, coupled with that of Gascoyne, had the
double effect of checking the onset of the enemy, and of collecting
their own scattered forces around them. The battle was now drawing to a
point. Men who were skirmishing in various places left off and hastened
to the spot on which the closing scene was now evidently to be enacted;
and for a few minutes the contending parties paused, as if by mutual
consent, to breathe and scan each other before making the final attack.

It must not be supposed that, during the light which we have described,
the crew of the _Talisman_ were idle. At the first sign of disturbance
on shore, the boats were lowered, and a well-armed force rowed for the
landing-place as swiftly as the strong and willing arms of the men could
pull. But the distance between the vessel and the shore was
considerable, and the events we have recounted were quickly enacted, so
that before the boats had proceeded half the distance the fight was
nearly over, and the settlement seemed about to be overwhelmed.

These facts were not lost upon the first lieutenant of the _Talisman_,
Mr Mulroy, who, with telescope in hand, watched the progress of the
fight with great anxiety. He saw that it was impossible for the boats
to reach the shore in time to render efficient aid. He also observed
that a fresh band of savages were hastening to reinforce their comrades,
and that the united band would be so overpoweringly strong as to render
the chances of a successful resistance on the part of the settlers very
doubtful indeed almost hopeless.

In these circumstances he adopted a course which was as bold as it was
dangerous. Observing that the savages mustered for the final onset in a
dense mass on an eminence which just raised their heads a little above
those of the party they were about to attack, he at once loaded three of
the largest guns with round shot and pointed them at the mass of human
beings with the utmost possible care. There was the greatest danger of
hitting friends instead of foes, but Mr Mulroy thought it his