"Just you keep off, Mr Dellow, and you too, Mr Lynton, and you won't be hurt," cried Jem fiercely. "If you do come on, mind, it's your own fault if you get a charge of shot through you." At this moment Brace made for his gun, but the captain shouted at him. "No, no!" he roared; "we don't want anything of that kind, sir. I can bring my lads to reason without guns. Here, you sirs, throw down those tools, or it will be the worse for you. Do you hear?" "Yes, and it'll be the worse for you, captain, it you don't keep back. Stand fast, lads. It's to make us rich men for life." "It's to make you convicts, you dogs," roared the captain. "Now, my lads, let 'em have it." "They're four to one, Brace," cried Sir Humphrey, through his clenched teeth. "I can't stand this. Come on." "You might ask me to chip in," said Briscoe fiercely; "I'm coming all the same." And the three lookers-on turned themselves into combatants and rushed to the support of the captain and his two officers, who, regardless of the weapons held by the crew, rushed at them with doubled fists. There were shouts and yells of defiance, and directly after _thud, thud, thud_, the dull heavy sounds of well-delivered blows, for the captain was a very truthful man: he said he hit hard, and he did, while his two officers showed that they were worthy pupils; and with such an example before them in the wild excitement of the combat, the three passengers followed their fists again and again, science helping them, so that their adversaries went down or fell back struggling. As previously intimated, the crew had six guns among them, but not a shot was fired. In fact, they were presented merely as a menace and under the vain belief that the sight of the weapons would be sufficient to make the captain's party yield at once to any arrangements the men proposed respecting the gold. Consequently, in the confusion of the attack, first one piece and then another was thrown down and trampled under foot, those who had held them taking to their natural weapons of defence, and faring very badly. At the end of a minute, instead of the enemy being two to one, and all picked, big muscular fellows, the numbers were even, six not wounded but half-stunned sailors lying or sitting upon the earth. One was holding his jaw, literally, and not in the metaphorical fashion of keeping silence; another was carefully rubbing his forehead as if to get rid of a lump; another had made a compress of his left hand to hold over his left eye; again another was upon all-fours like a dog, gazing ruefully at the earth and shaking his head slowly, not because he was sorry, but to rid himself of a strange dizzy sensation, while the nearest man to him was sitting down contemplating something white which lay glistening in his hand and looking wonderfully like a fine front tooth. Just at that moment the captain shouted a warning, for the second half of the crew suddenly gave way and made a rush for the boats.