Startling enough this. What was to be done? To retreat, for the time, was out of the question, so we had no chance but in a forward demonstration. "After these miscreants, men," cried old Sprawl, having previously ordered ten hands back to cover the boats--"after them, and drive them from the jungle." "Hurrah!" We shoved along the narrow path through which the enemy had vanished, and the first we overtook was a poor devil shot through the neck, writhing in agony, and endeavouring to extricate himself from the slough. He was thrust through on the instant, as unceremoniously as if he had been a crushed beetle. A little farther on we encountered in another small by-track that took away to the left, three others, evidently part of the gang who had been peppering us from beneath the covert of the bushes. These were shot down as unceremoniously where they stood. I cannot forget the imploring glances of the poor fellows as they vainly beseeched our mercy, and the fearful sight of their stretching themselves out, and falling crash back amongst the branches when we fired. Two of them seemed to fall at once quite dead amongst the bloody leaves; but the third, shrieking aloud, had wrestled himself a fathom or two into the brake before he received his quietus from a marine, who walked close up to him, and shot him deliberately through the heart. Still we heard the shouts of the rest of the party who had retreated, and were now well ahead of us, and we pushed on in pursuit--when all at once, as if I had been struck by the levin-brand, a flash of light blazed across my eyes, and I came to the ground by the run. CHAPTER III. THE MIDGE IN THE HORNET'S NEST.