"That's your sort, lads," cried a cheery voice. "Down with 'em, and I'll stow. It's like bricklaying with big bricks."

"Who's that?" I said sharply, for the man's back was towards me, and it was getting quite dark where we were.

"Me it is, sir--Bob Saunders, sir. Beg pardon, sir."

"Yes; what is it?"

"Tide's going down very fast, sir, arn't it?"

"Yes; why?"

"'Cause we don't seem to get no forrarder. Hi! steady there! D'yer want to bury yer orficer?"

"Never mind me, man. Stow away; she must soon be lightened enough to make her float."

"Then we'll lighten her, sir; but don't you go and give orders for any of the stuff to be chucked overboard. It's too vallerble for that."

"Only as a last resource, Bob," I replied.

"Beg pardon, sir."

"Don't," I cried to the man who touched me. "Never mind ceremony now; go on firing."

"Yes, sir; but Tom Jecks says, sir, would you like six on us to land and have a go at the beggars?"

"No," I cried. "Keep together; we may be afloat at any moment."

"Right, sir; on'y we're all willing, if you give the word."

"I know that," I cried. "But be careful, my lads. It's a terrible position, with our chief officer down like this."

"So it is, sir," said the man, taking careful aim at a part of the bank where he thought that he saw a movement. Then, almost simultaneously, there was a flash from the place, and another from his rifle muzzle.

"Either on us. .h.i.t?" he said coolly, as I clapped my hand to my ear, which felt as if a jet of cold air had touched it. "Don't think I touched him, sir, but he has cut off. I can hear him going. Not hurt, are you, sir?"

"No; a bullet must have gone close to my ear," I said.

"Oh yes; I felt that, sir. It went between us. But it's no use to take no notice o' misses."

"Well?" I said; for one of the men behind me now touched my arm, and I found it was Bob Saunders.

"We're getting dead down at the head, sir; hadn't we better begin stowing aft?"

"Yes, yes, of course," I said excitedly, and feeling annoyed that I had not thought of this myself.

"Then, if you'll make the lads ease off to starboard and port, sir, we'll soon pack a row of these here little bales between 'em. Or look here, sir! how would it be to bring 'em a bit amidships, and let us begin right astarn, and build up a sort o' bulwark o' bales? They could fire from behind it when we'd done."

"Yes, capital!" I cried, once more annoyed with myself because I, a mere boy, had not the foresight of an experienced man.

"No, no," I cried the next moment. "How could we get at the tiller?"

"You won't want no tiller, sir; we can row aboard easy enough, once we get out o' this fiddling little drain."

"You are right, Saunders," I said. "Go on."

All the while the men astern were keeping up a steady fire, which certainly had one effect, that of checking the enemy's advance. And now Saunders came aft with a bale on his head, keeping his balance wonderfully as he stepped over the thwarts.

"Mind yer eye, Pigtail," he cried.

"Keep back! Where are you coming?" growled a man who was loading.

"Here, matey," cried Saunders; and he plumped the bale down right across the stern.

"Hooroar!" cried Tom Jecks, stepping behind it, and resting his rifle on the top.

No more was said, the men easing off out of the way as bale after bale was brought and planted in threes, so that when six had been placed there was a fine breast-work, which formed a splendid protection for those in the stern, and this was added to, until we were fairly safe from enemies behind. But once more we could hear them creeping nearer through the bushes on our right; the firing grew more dangerous, and there was nothing for it, I felt, but to order every man in the two boats to take his piece, shelter himself behind the bales, and help to beat the enemy back.

It was a sad necessity, for I knew that the tide was falling very fast, and that before long we should be immovable; but to have kept on shifting the load and allow the enemy to get close in over our heads on the densely-clothed sides of the stream would, I knew, be madness; and the men showed how they appreciated the common-sense of the order by getting at once under cover, and then the sharp rattle of our fire was more than doubled.

But, enraged by their defeat, and doubly mortified to find that we had discovered their treasure, the pirates seemed now to have cast aside their cowardice, and were creeping in nearer and nearer, yelling to each other by way of encouragement; and, in addition to keeping up an irregular fire, they strove, I suppose, to intimidate us by beating and making a deafening noise on gongs.

"They will be too much for us," I thought, when we seemed to have been keeping up the struggle for hours, though minutes would have been a more correct definition; and, with the longing for help and counsel growing more and more intense, I was about to kneel down and speak to Mr Reardon, and ask him to try and save himself.

But I started to my feet, for there was a louder yelling than ever, and the pirates made quite a rush, which brought them abreast of us.

"Cutla.s.ses!" I cried; and there was the rattle made in fixing them, bayonet fashion, on the rifles, when--_boom_!--_thud_!--came the roar of a heavy gun; there was a whistling shrieking in the air, and then somewhere overhead an ear-splitting crash, followed by the breaking of bushes and trampling down of gra.s.s and bamboo.

Then perfect silence, followed by a cheer from our men.

"Well done, _Teaser_!" shouted Tom Jecks.

It was a diversion which, I believe, saved us, for the enemy fled for some distance, and gave us time to go on lightening the foremost boat.

But before we had been at work many minutes there was a cheer from close at hand, and upon our answering it, another and another, with splashing of oars, and the next minute I heard Mr Brooke's voice from beyond the first boat.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

SAVED.

"Look sharp, sir," I said, after going forward, and in a few words explaining our position.

"Right, my lad. Get your men together in the stern of your boat, and keep up the fire, while we make fast and try and tow you off. Hi! quick there!" he roared; and a cheer told us that another boat was close at hand.

But my work was cut out, the men placed well under cover, and we waited listening for the first sounds of the returning enemy, while from time to time Mr Brooke's clear, short orders came out of the darkness behind us, and we knew that he had sent a party into the fixed boat to rock it from side to side. Then came a cheer, as the water rolled hissing and whispering among the reeds; there was the simultaneous plash of oars, and a creaking sound.

Then another sound from the bank of the creek, which I knew well enough.