Mr. Ferguson?" the captain asked, as the lieutenant
stepped on board.

"Half a dozen spear wounds, sir, but only one of a serious nature; our
fire was too hot for them to face."

"What do you suppose their loss has been?"

"As far as I can judge, sir, some eighty or ninety were killed by our
fire, and at least as many must have fallen in the battery; the place
was choked up with dead. I have brought the eight guns off; they are
only four pounders."

"They may be useful for the boats. I see the men have brought off a good
deal of rubbish. You had better give orders that whatever there is is to
be fairly divided among all hands. Any articles more valuable than
the rest had better be put up to auction, and whatever they fetch also
divided among the men. Were the Malays in force?"

"The place swarmed with them, sir, but they were evidently demoralized
by the fire of the guns, and their attacks were really feeble. The only
trouble we had was that some would shut themselves up in houses. It
looked at first as if they really meant to fight, but directly the
shells began to fall behind them, and fire broke out, they lost heart
altogether, and made a bolt for the forest."

"Well, the work has been thoroughly done, Mr. Ferguson, and Sehi has had
a lesson that he won't forget. Now we have to tackle his fleet."

"Everything is ready, sir. We have got the sledges made for the two
guns, and a store of long bamboos for the carriages and anything else we
may want to take with us."

"This will be a more serious business by a long way," the captain said.
"The men had better take a hundred rounds of ammunition with them, and
it would be as well to take a few boxes of spare cartridges; and the
men not occupied in dragging the cannon and carrying the carriages, must
take up as many rounds of shell as possible, and eight or ten rounds
of grape for each gun. You have got the sacks ready for forming the
battery; that will be absolutely necessary for the protection of the men
firing. Each of the prahus has probably got at least half a dozen small
guns, and it would be hardly possible to work our pieces unless the men
were protected from their concentrated fire. Tell the chief engineer
that steam must be got up by six o'clock. In the meantime, let a slow
fire be kept up towards the edge of the forest, just a shot every five
minutes, which will be enough to show them we are still here, and have
not done with them yet. When the place cool