"

"I say, don't!" said Brace. "It is too serious to joke about."

"And no mistake. Are they all aboard yet?" asked Briscoe.

"Don't know, and can't look round. I must face them. It would be ever
so much worse to turn our backs."

"Ten times," said Briscoe. "Look out! I say; that's a fresh party--
twenty or thirty of them, coming out of the woods a quarter of a mile
away. They ought to be too late to reach us."

"Our men are all on board, and the Indians are going to rush us,"
whispered Brace.

"That's so," said the American. "Be ready. I'll say `Fire!' Then wait
till the smoke lifts, when I'll give the word again, and then it's a
rush through the water to the boats. Bet you two cents I get most
arrows in my back."

"Steady!" growled Brace hoarsely.

"Fire!" shouted the captain from the boat, and, in spite of the order
upsetting their plans, the covering party obeyed and sent their little
shower of shot amongst the yelling enemies' legs.

"Let 'em have it again," roared the captain from the second boat.

The remaining two barrels rang out, and those who fired sprang up and
dashed through the water to reach the larger boat, where they were
seized and dragged in and under cover.

None too soon, for a little shower of arrows came aboard and through the
sails, which were shivering in the brisk breeze.

The next minute, in response to a thrust or two, and a touch at the
tillers, both sails half-filled, and the boats were gliding swiftly away
from the shore, the arrows coming more and more seldom, till the last
two failed to reach them, but fell into the water twenty yards astern.

Then the captain, who had been tending the wounded man, rose up and
said, loud enough for those in both boats to hear:

"There we are then, my lads, quite out of danger now, and nothing to
mind but a few canoes up stream and a few more down; but look here, I've
just got this to say to you all: if you'd had your way there'd have been
a big fire ashore to-night and a general collection of Indians to the
biggest roast they had enjoyed for years. After it was over everyone of
those copper-skinned gentlemen would have been going about with a good
big bit of my crew in his inside. That's quite true, isn't it, Mr
Briscoe?"

"Oh, yes," said the American: "these people are cannibals still when
they get the chance."

"That's so," cried the captain; "and now you know, my lads. There,
you've had your touch of the gold fever, a