“Quick, sir, run; those are our shells,” O’Neil exclaimed, and together the two raced for the beach, guided in their flight by the discharges from the guns of the “Sitka,” while behind them the rebel natives were left to exult over their victory. Again the invincible white man--papalangi--had been found to be only mortal. CHAPTER XXII WAR IN EARNEST When Phil and O’Neil reached the beach, the “Sitka’s” shells were screeching angrily over their heads and exploding in the bush behind them. The sailors had been collected and formed on the beach road to repel an attack. Three officers and eight sailors were missing and a score had received wounds. The command of the force fell to a sub-lieutenant from the English cruiser. Tupper, Morrison and Patterson had been killed and left upon the field. “There were at least a thousand of them,” Sydney exclaimed as he met Phil and grasped his hand silently, thankful for his escape, “and Scott or some white man was with them. Many of the men say they distinctly heard a white man’s voice encouraging the natives to charge us.” The sailors were apathetic, stunned. The suddenness of the attack and their defeat had unnerved every man of them. “If we could only have used the machine gun,” Childers moaned plaintively, “we’d have had a different story to tell.” Little by little the men’s shattered nerves were mended. The “Sitka’s” shells yet screeched overhead, but the rebel natives had retired. The commanding officer gave the order and put the force in motion. It was a sadly disheartened band that entered the town of Ukula an hour later. When the doleful news reached the American admiral, he was beside himself with anger at the white men whom he firmly believed had instigated and made possible the ambush. Far from yielding, all effort was now ordered to be concentrated upon swift punishment to the rebels. Lieutenant Gant came ashore from the British ship to command all the loyal native troops. Several hundred loyal warriors were now added, having been brought from Kulila. One thousand strong they were mustered, and all were armed with the latest patterns of the Lee Metford rifle from the British and American war-ships. The white troops, unused to bush fighting, by the admiral’s order were hereafter only to garrison the town, while offensive work was to be done exclusively by the loyal native troops. A plentiful supply of white sailors was sprinkled among the native companies, to teach them how to use their weapons and how to take cover. Through the women the fate of the fallen officers and sailors was learned. All had been beheaded; but Kataafa when he learned of this savage act had ordered the bodies and heads to be buried and their graves marked. Phil and Sydney were given commands in the native regiment, and O’Neil went with them. All day and every day they drilled their men. Meanwhile the rebels were drawing their lines closer about Ukula.