It had sounded to be so close that they felt puzzled, and wondered whether they had passed them, for the doctor argued that if they had taken fright the rustle of their wings would have been heard among the branches. All at once Jack, who walked on the doctor's left, held his gun in his left hand only, and made a sign with his right. His companion crept close to him, and the next moment a flock of enormous pigeons, which had been feeding on the fallen nuts of one of the biggest trees, rose with a tremendous rushing of wings, and four barrels were fired into them, with the result that three birds fell. "Our dinner, Jack, and the men's too," cried the doctor; and the boy felt a chill of horror run through him, as from close behind there was a wild cry from Ned, followed by a shouting amongst the men a dozen yards below. Then _shot_--_shot_--_shot_ followed one another quickly, and Lenny cried-- "Down, gentlemen, down!" The doctor dropped instinctively, and began to creep to Ned, who had fallen heavily, when he heard Lenny cry-- "Down, Mr Jack--down!" and he saw the lad standing motionless, staring with horror at the ground. The next instant something whizzed by his ear and struck quivering in the tree-trunk behind. Then he dropped into shelter, and began rapidly to reload. "Fall back on us, my lads," said the doctor sharply, "and don't fire unless you have a good chance. Keep well under cover." "The blacks?" panted Jack. The doctor nodded. "Is Ned--hurt much?" "Can't tell yet, my lad. How are you, Ned--much hurt?" "Oh, it hurts, sir, horrid," said the man faintly; "but I shouldn't mind that. It's feeling so sea-sick and swimming I mind. Let's go back to the yacht." "Yes, of course; but you can't walk." "But I will walk, sir; must walk. 'Tain't my leg, it's my arm," cried the man, who was sick with agony, but full of spirit. "Who's going to carry a fellow in a place like this?" "Much hurt, mate?" said Lenny, who now crept to them on all fours. "What's the good o' asking stupid questions, old 'un?" cried Ned petulantly. "Course I'm much hurt. Can't you see it's gone right into my arm? Why look at this--gone right through. Going to cut the arrow-head out, sir?" "No," replied the doctor sharply. "Kneel, and be a man. I won't hurt you more than I can help." "All right, sir. No use hollering," cried Ned cheerily. "Look out there!" cried one of the sailors from below. "They're going to rush us!" "Never mind me, sir," said Ned, letting himself sink back. "You three has to fight. Nasty cowardly beggars--shooting a man behind his back! Let 'em have it, I say." He had hardly spoken when the men below fired a little volley across the gully, and then there was a cheer. "That's scut 'em to the right-about, sir. We've dropped two," cried one of the men, and they crept back under the dense cover to where Ned lay. The doctor had seized his gun, but he laid it down again, and took out a keen-bladed knife.