Part 13 (1/2)

The sailors put all their strength to the oars, and drove the great boat through the water To their iet there Yet the place which they desired to reach was not far away;--the sounds were now very near; and at length, as they drove onward, the tall sides of a shi+p burst on their sight through the gloom

By its side was a boat of the kind that is used by the Malays On board the shi+p a large nu about in mad ferocity

In a moment the boat was seen A shout rose from the Malays A score of them clambered swiftly down the shi+p's side to their boat, and a panic see around irresolutely for some way of escape

The boatsas in the bows of the long-boat and as the Malays crowded into their craft he took aih the air A terrific shriek followed The next instant the Malay boat, filled rithing dusky figures, went down beneath the waters

The long-boat irasped a rope with his left hand, and, holding his revolver in his right, leaped upward A Malay with uplifted knife struck at hi!

went the revolver and the Malay fell dead The next instant Brandon was on board, followed by all the sailors who sprang upward and clambered into the vessel before the Malays could rally from the first shock of surprise

But the panic was arrested by a h the hatchway Roused by the noise of the gun, he had hurried up and reached the deck just as the sailors arrived In fierce, stern words he shouted to his e from his words There were about fifty of these, and not lish sailors; but the former had carelessly dropped their arms about, and most of their pieces were unloaded; the latter, therefore, had it all their oay

The first thing that they did was to pour a volley into the crowd of Malays, as they stood trying to face their new enemy The next moment the sailors rushed upon them, some with cutlasses, some with pistols, and some with clubbed ht with their creeses, others snatched upthe like wild beasts

In thea clubbed reat muscular power Three or four of the sailors had already been knocked down beneath his blows

”Doith hiorri!”

A venomous smile passed over the dark face of the Malay Then he shouted to his men and in an instant they rushed to the quarter-deck and took up a position there A few of them obtained some more muskets that lay about

The Captain shouted to histhe Malays, to load once more They did so, poured in a volley, and then rushed to the quarter-deck Now a fiercer fight took place The Captain with his pistol shot one man dead the next instant he was knocked down The boatsas grappled by terfulall before them

Meanwhile Brandon had been in the very centre of the fight With his revolver in his left hand he held a cutlass in his right, and every blow that he gave told He had sought all through the struggle to reach the spot where Zangorri stood, but had hitherto been unsuccessful At the retreat which the Malays made he hastily loaded three of the chambers of his revolver which he had e upon the quarter-deck first The man who struck down the Captain fell dead froe his knife into the heart of the prostrate man Another shot sent over one of the boatswain's assailants, and the other assailant was kicked up into the air and overboard by the boatswain hiet at Zangorri, for the Malay chief with a howl of fury called on hisat him Two quick flashes, two sharp reports, and doent two of therasped Brandon's hand, and raised his knife; the next instant Brandon had shi+fted his pistol to his other hand; he fired Zangorri's ar on the shi+p's deck

Brandon bounded at his throat He wound his arorri to the deck, and held him there

A cry of terror and dismay arose from the Malays as they saw their chief fall The sailors shouted; there was no further fighting: some of the pirates were killed, others leaped overboard and tried to say The sailors, in their fury, shot at these wretches as they swaorri had stiiving quarter Out of all the Malays the only one alive was Zangorri hihty hand on his throat

At last, as his struggles grew feebler, Brandon relaxed his grasp Some of the sailors caorri

”Back,” cried Brandon, fiercely ”Don't touch him He's mine!”

”He must die”

”That's for me to say,” cried Brandon in a stern voice that forbade reply In fact, the sailors seemed to feel that he had the best claiorri with his own hands, but had borne the chief share in the fight

”Englishman,” said a voice ”I thank you”

Brandon started

It was Zangorri who had spoken; and in very fair English too

”Do you speak English?” was all that he could say in his surprise