midshipmen springing on board just in time.
It was the Malays' turn to board now, that of the British to prevent
them; the musketry of the sailors and marines for a time kept the enemy
off, but they strove desperately to gain a footing on board, until a
loud cry was heard, and the craft into which the midshipmen had fired
sank suddenly, and a loud cheer broke from the British.

The two midshipmen were engaged with the other pirate, from whom a cry
of dismay arose at seeing the disappearance of their friends.

"Now, lads, follow me," Harry shouted as the Malays strove to push their
craft away. Followed by a dozen sailors, they leaped on to her deck; but
the efforts of the Malays succeeded in thrusting the vessels apart. In
vain the midshipmen and their followers fought desperately. Harry was
felled by a blow with a war club, Dick cut down with a kris; half the
seamen were killed, the others jumped overboard and swam back to their
vessel. Lieutenant Hopkins shouted to the men to take to the boats, and
the two cutters were speedily manned. One, however, was in a sinking
condition; but Lieutenant Hopkins with the other started in pursuit of
the prahu, whose crew had already got their oars out, and in spite of
the efforts of the sailors, soon left them behind. Pursuit was evidently
hopeless, and reluctantly the lieutenant ordered the men to row back. On
returning to the scene of combat, they saw sunk near the bank the
fourth of the prahus. "The spy was so far right," the second lieutenant
muttered--"this fellow did sink; now we must see that she does no more
mischief." He brought the captured prahu alongside the others, whose
decks were but a foot or two below the water, and fired several shots
through their bottoms. Then he set the captured craft on fire and took
to the boats, which with great difficulty forced their way under the
fallen tree and rowed back to the ship.

The third lieutenant had been shot dead, twelve men had been killed,
ten of the midshipmen's party were missing, and of the rest but few had
escaped without wounds more or less serious.

Harry was the first to recover his senses, being roughly brought to by
a bucket of water being dashed over him. He looked round the deck. Of
those who had sprung on board with him, none were visible save Dick
Balderson, who was lying near him, with a cloth tightly bound round his
shoulder.

As he rose into a sitting position a murmur of satisfaction broke from
some Ma