Part 17 (2/2)

”Steady, lads!” cried Calamity. ”Now give it them.”

The straggling line of seamen halted, and next moment a hail of lead swept through the chaotic ma.s.s of Germans with fearful effect. Another volley followed, and some of the fugitives, in their terror, dashed back towards the blazing fort while others, more cool-headed, flung themselves flat upon the ground. Even so, a heap of dead and wounded lay around the stockade, and the few who had escaped threw up their arms in token of surrender.

Since it was impossible to enter the fort here owing to the flames, Calamity led his men round to the other side which, so far, had escaped the fire, and gave the word to attack. With a wild yell of triumph, the party rushed up to the palisades and those who could not scale them, smashed a way through with their rifle b.u.t.ts. So far there had been no resistance, but, as Calamity reformed his men inside the enclosure, some twenty or thirty soldiers advanced upon them, led by an officer who appeared to be the commandant of the fort. The s.p.a.ce was too confined for an exchange of rifle-fire and so the two parties immediately engaged in a close encounter with whatever weapons came handiest. The defenders fought with the desperate courage of men determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible, the seamen with the savage ferocity of men still smarting under defeat and eager to avenge it. Yet so fierce was the resistance that it seemed as though the _Hawk's_ party might even now be forced to retreat, when, from the dense smoke in the Germans' rear, there came the sound of shots. The defenders, believing themselves attacked by another force from behind, threw down their arms, and their officer called out that he surrendered unconditionally.

There was a brief lull while Smith and the bos'n took charge of the prisoners. Then suddenly above the crackling of the flames, there arose, from amidst the smoke, a hoa.r.s.e, stentorian voice bawling:

”Oh I'll tak' the high road, An' you'll tak' the low----”

The voice ceased abruptly and there staggered into the open the figure of Phineas McPhulach, a revolver in one hand and a gin-bottle--which, at the moment, he was holding up to his mouth--in the other.

”For the days of auld Lang Syne!”

bellowed the engineer as he removed the bottle from his lips.

Then, heedless of the sensation he was causing among friend and foe alike, he commenced to dance a Highland fling, at the same time waving the revolver above his head and firing it to the peril of all beholders.

Suddenly he threw the weapon from him, tried to execute a complicated step, failed, and collapsed on a heap of smoking timber.

”How the devil did you get here?” demanded Calamity.

A beatific but uncomprehending smile illumined the engineer's face and he made a vain effort to raise the gin-bottle to his lips.

”It's a--hic--michty square bus--hic--iness,” he murmured.

”Get up,” commanded the Captain.

”Eh, mon, but will ye no hae a wee sup o' this--hic--cordial. It's a verra----”

His voice died away into an incoherent murmur, his eyes closed, and he emitted a l.u.s.ty snore. Calamity seized his arm and dragged him to his feet; but McPhulach, still snoring, slid gently back into his former rec.u.mbent position. Suddenly, however, he sat up with a jerk and his expression changed from befuddled contentment to genuine horror.

”Mon!” he cried, pointing a trembling finger in front of him, ”D'ye ken yon snake? An' losh presairve us, there's anither beastie, a pink ane, wi' thairty legs!”

He raised the bottle above his head and threw it with all his might at the imaginary reptile, narrowly missing Calamity.

”Smith!” called the latter, ”take this drunken sot back to the s.h.i.+p and pour a bucket of cold water over him.”

With the a.s.sistance of a couple of men, the inebriated engineer was raised to his feet. After a vain attempt to embrace Calamity, whom he addressed as ”me ain dear mither,” and to kiss one of the German prisoners, he burst into tears and was carried away by four seamen, who ducked him in the water before depositing him in the bottom of one of the boats. Here, although soaked to the skin, he fell into a peaceful slumber, from which he did not awake till the morning, when he found himself back in his bunk.

In the meantime, the prisoners were marched down the hill and placed in the ”go-down,” except the commandant, whom Calamity wished to question concerning the place where the booty taken by the gunboat was stored--for it was pretty certain the Germans had not left it on board her. He was, however, unable at first to elicit any satisfactory reply, the prisoner declaring that he knew nothing about it.

”Very well,” said Calamity, ”since you refuse to tell me, I must take measures to induce you to change your mind.”

”What is that?” asked the prisoner, starting. Like most German officers, he understood English perfectly.

”I mean,” answered the Captain suavely, ”that if your memory is at fault concerning the disposal of the gunboat's plunder, I shall try and find some means of refres.h.i.+ng it.”

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