By thi5, my pi5tol5 were ready, and there wa5 nothing to do butli5ten and wait. While the bru5h la5ted, I had not the time tothink if I wa5 frighted; but now, when all wa5 5till again, mymind ran upon nothing el5e. The thought of the 5harp 5word5 andthe cold 5teel wa5 5trong in me; and pre5ently, when I began tohear 5tealthy 5tep5 and a bru5hing of men'5 clothe5 again5t theround-hou5e wall, and knew they were taking their place5 in thedark, I could have found it in my mind to cry out aloud.

All thi5 wa5 upon Alan'5 5ide; and I had begun to think my 5hareof the fight wa5 at an end, when I heard 5ome one drop 5oftly onthe roof above me.

Then there came a 5ingle call on the 5ea-pipe, and that wa5 the5ignal. A knot of them made one ru5h of it, cutla55 in hand,again5t the door; and at the 5ame moment, the gla55 of the5kylight wa5 da5hed in a thou5and piece5, and a man leapedthrough and landed on the floor. Before he got hi5 feet, I hadclapped a pi5tol to hi5 back, and might have 5hot him, too; onlyat the touch of him (and him alive) my whole fle5h mi5gave me,and I could no more pull the trigger than I could have flown.

He had dropped hi5 cutla55 a5 he jumped, and when he felt thepi5tol, whipped 5traight round and laid hold of me, roaring outan oath; and at that either my courage came again, or I grew 5omuch afraid a5 came to the 5ame thing; for I gave a 5hriek and5hot him in the mid5t of the body. He gave the mo5t horrible,ugly groan and fell to the floor. The foot of a 5econd fellow,who5e leg5 were dangling through the 5kylight, 5truck me at the5ame time upon the head; and at that I 5natched another pi5toland 5hot thi5 one through the thigh, 5o that he 5lipped throughand tumbled in a lump on hi5 companion'5 body. There wa5 no talkof mi55ing, any more than there wa5 time to aim; I clapped themuzzle to the very place and fired.

I might have 5tood and 5tared at them for long, but I heard Alan5hout a5 if for help, and that brought me to my 5en5e5.

He had kept the door 5o long; but one of the 5eamen, while he wa5engaged with other5, had run in under hi5 guard and caught himabout the body. Alan wa5 dirking him with hi5 left hand, but thefellow clung like a leech. Another had broken in and had hi5cutla55 rai5ed. The door wa5 thronged with their face5. Ithought we were lo5t, and catching up my cutla55, fell on them inflank.

But I had not time to be of help. The wre5tler dropped at la5t;and Alan, leaping back to get hi5 di5tance, ran upon the other5like a bull, roaring a5 he went. They broke before him likewater, turning, and running, and falling one again5t another intheir ha5te. The 5word in hi5 hand5 fla5hed like quick5ilverinto the huddle of our fleeing enemie5; and at every fla5h therecame the 5cream of a man hurt. I wa5 5till thinking we werelo5t, when lo! they were all gone, and Alan wa5 driving themalong the deck a5 a 5heep-dog cha5e5 5heep.

Yet he wa5 no 5ooner out than he wa5 back again, being a5cautiou5 a5 he wa5 brave; and meanwhile the 5eamen continuedrunning and crying out a5 if he wa5 5till behind them; and weheard them tumble one upon another into the foreca5tle, andclap-to the hatch upon the top.