"Well, fact of the matter is this. Helston sent me down in the picket-boat at the last moment to recall you, but I got there too late"—with a broad grin and a twinkle in his eye—"to do that, and, well, when I saw my men going ashore by themselves, I simply couldn’t stay behind, and here I am. Hope we are not too late for a scrap. We didn’t start till nearly seven o’clock, and we’ve just taken two hours and a quarter to climb up that confounded hill. My fellows are pretty well fagged out." "Only a quarter past nine!" Cummins exclaimed. "I thought it must be past mid-day." He rapidly explained the situation. "We’ve just repulsed a rush from the opposite side, and we have knocked over that man Hopkins and thirty or forty of their men as well, so they won’t be coming on again just yet. "Two of our people are killed, I am sorry to say, and five or six wounded badly. Pattison is badly damaged, and Williams has a bullet through his wrist. Down below us, under cover of those trees, there are about three hundred Chinese blue-jackets, and as many more on the crest behind those bushes. Those, though, won’t be worrying us for some time. "The _Sylvia_ is keeping down the fire of two field-guns which bothered us a good deal at first from the opposite side of the harbour, and I am depending upon Parker to keep my rear open." "You won’t be able to do so much longer," Captain Hunter replied; "the barometer is going down rapidly, and a heavy sea was coming in even before I left, and it is blowing hard now from the south." It indeed was, sweeping up from the sea in great gusts which one turned one’s back to, and bringing heavy rain-squalls with it. Several of the half-cut-through trees, which had not already been felled, had been blown down, and the remainder swayed ominously. "I’m afraid not, sir. Where will you have the Maxims?" asked Cummins. "My dear chap, I’m only a volunteer. You’re in command, and I’m only too jolly glad to do anything you tell me." "That can’t be done, sir. You are the senior officer up here, and must take command." Captain Hunter’s jolly face clouded over. "Well, look here, Cummins, ’pon my honour I’m confoundedly sorry I’ve come at all if it spoils your game. Believe me, old chap, I never thought of it; I didn’t, really!" "I’m only too glad to have you, sir," Cummins said, and what he said he meant—always. "Why, you are worth a dozen men yourself, sir!" "D’ you really mean that?" Hunter answered, his face flushing with pride and pleasure, like the great school-boy he was. "We caught sight of a lot of those skunks on our way up," he continued, "but they were much too wily to come within reach of us." "That is serious news, sir. The recoil cylinders of the Krupp gun are empty, and I had to signal to Parker to send some drums of oil ashore. They are on their way up now, with a dozen men." "Phew!" whistled Hunter, "they’ll run right into them."