"Cease firing!" cried Mr Reardon; and then, as if to himself, "Every shot is wasted." I did not think so, for it had checked the enemy, who allowed us to go on slowly another hundred yards or so. "Allee velly dleadful," whispered Ching to me, as he crouched in the bottom of the boat. "You tinkee hit Ching?" "I hope not," I said. "Oh no; we shall get out into the river directly." "No," he said; "velly long way yet." "But who are these?" I said--"some village people?" "Pilate," he cried. "Allee come home not kill, and findee plize-money gone. Makee velly angly. Wantee chop off sailor head." "Like to catch 'em at it," growled Tom Jecks, who had been very silent for some time. "Silence there!" cried Mr Reardon sternly. Then to me, "We seem to have checked them, Herrick." At that moment there was a sudden stoppage in front, and our coxswain growled-- "Starn all!" "What is it?" cried Mr Reardon, rising. There was a rattle of matchlocks from our right, and Mr Reardon fell sidewise on to me. "Hurt, sir?" I cried in agony. "Yes, badly--no--I don't know," he cried, struggling up with his hand to his head. "Here! why has that boat stopped?" His voice was drowned by the reports of our men's rifles, as they fired in the direction from which the shots had come; and just then a voice from the laden boat came through the semi-darkness-- "Ahoy!" "Yes; what is it?" I said, as I saw that a man had crawled over the stack-like load. "There's a gang in front, sir; and we're aground." "And the tide falling," muttered Mr Reardon. "Herrick, I'm a bit hurt; get our boat close up; half the men are to come astern here, and check the enemy; the other half to help unload and get enough into our boat to lighten the other." "Yes, sir," I said; and I gave the orders as quickly and decisively as I could. The men responded with a cheer; and, with scarcely any confusion, our boat's head was made fast to the other's stern, and the men swarmed on to the top of the load, and began to pass down the bales rapidly from hand to hand. Crash came a ragged volley from right ahead now; but this was answered by three rifles in the stern of the laden boat, and repeated again and again, while the strong party in the stern of ours kept up a fierce fire for a few minutes. It was a perilous time, for we knew that if the enemy pushed forward boldly we should be at their mercy. They could come right to the edge of the bank unseen, so dense was the cover; and, working as our men were at such a disadvantage in the gloom, which was rapidly growing deeper, there was no knowing how long it would be before the first boat was sufficiently lightened to float again; it even seemed to be possible that we might not keep pace with the fall of the tide, and then perhaps we should also be aground. "Hurt much, sir?" I said to Mr Reardon, who was now seated resting his head upon his hand.