Part 94 (2/2)

No: it was not the falling of the sword on my poor outstretched neck, but a volley from the top of the cliff, fired by twenty of our brave blue-jackets, and half-a-dozen of the pirates fell shrieking on the sands.

I turned faint, but I recovered my senses as I saw Ching spring up, rush at a man on the sand, s.n.a.t.c.h up his sword and run to me.

”Quick!” he cried; ”jump up; fight!”

Almost mechanically I obeyed him, and s.n.a.t.c.hed a knife from the hands of one of the fallen men to defend my life, just as a second volley rolled forth from the cliff, directed at the pirates as they ran toward the ridge.

For there was no need for us to fight--our enemies were in full retreat; and, as I looked up at the cliff, I could see our men drawn-up, and they were signalling evidently to some one out of sight.

The next minute we were hailed.

”Which is the way down?”

”This way,” cried Ching excitedly; and he ran south, pointing to the rift by which he had climbed the cliff, while I stood there--giddy, helpless, and at last sank down on my knees beside poor Tom Jecks, who was still muttering something about the storm.

I recovered, however, enough to watch our men descending the rift--a perilous, break-neck place; but they did not hesitate, and in a few minutes all were down, formed up, and came toward us at the double.

And now for the first time, at the head of those familiar faces, I saw Mr Reardon, who thrust his sword into his sheath as he drew near and literally rushed at me.

”My dear boy!” he cried, giving me quite a fatherly hug; ”thank G.o.d, we were just in time.”

I could not speak--I was too giddy; but I tried to look my thanks.

”Not hurt, are you?”

”No, sir; only faint.”

By this time the last of the pirates had pa.s.sed over the ridge, and I felt irritated with Mr Reardon for not going in pursuit. But he did not read my countenance; he called one of the men out of the line, made him give me some water from his bottle, and bent down on his knees by poor Tom Jecks.

”Ha!” he said; ”fever from a wound. Give him some water too, my lad.”

He sprang to his feet then, and I understood why he had not gone in pursuit of our enemies, for just then there was a sharp volley from over the ridge somewhere.

”Ha! that's got them,” said Mr Reardon, turning to me. ”We divided, my lad! half of us came along the top of the cliff, the other half along the sh.o.r.e.”

There was another volley, and I saw Mr Reardon smile as he gave the orders, and out flashed the men's cutla.s.ses, and were fixed with a quick tingling rattle on the muzzles of their rifles.

”Here they come, sir,” cried the warrant officer at the far end of the line.

”Yes, my lad, and we're ready for them. Now, one volley as soon as they are together, boys, and then the blades. Bayonet every wretch who does not throw down his arms.”

A low murmur ran along the little line, and I saw our men's eyes flash in the evening sun.

But the excitement was not complete, for, gathering strength now, and recovering from the shock I had received, I was watching the pirates scrambling over the ridge in haste, as if pursued, when there was a concussion of the air, a heavy boom, and I saw the _Teaser_ come into sight, pa.s.sing through the channel south of where we stood. Then there was a quick puff of smoke, another heavy boom, and I saw that she was going full speed, leaving a black stream of smoke behind her, in chase of the two junks, one of which was about a quarter of a mile away, the other about a mile farther.

They were evidently taken by surprise, for the men were hurriedly hoisting sail, and, as I learned afterwards, the _Teaser_ had been quite hidden till she rounded a little promontory at the mouth of the channel between the first and second islands--the channel for which we had so vainly steered on the night of the storm.

The firing went on steadily, the crash of the great sh.e.l.l following the report of the piece, but I had nearer and more exciting work to see close at hand; and once more my heart beat high, as the pirates gathered together, and, seeing the danger before them, paused for a moment or two at the foot of the ridge slope, looked to right to see only the perpendicular cliff, to left to see the sea, and then, uttering a savage yell, came tearing on.

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