The fire of the ship's guns was now directed towards the portion of
the town facing the forest, as it was here that the Malays would
probably be gathered. Port fires had been distributed among the
landing party. As these were lost to sight as they entered the
town, those on board ship watched eagerly for the sound of combat.
Nothing, however, was heard for a minute or two; then came a single
shot, and then a rattle of musketry.

"They are making a stand now," the captain said.

"Mr. Hopkins, will you please go round and tell the gunners to be
very careful in their aim? Let them watch the smoke rising among
the houses, and aim a short distance beyond it. Impress upon them
that it is better to fire too far than to risk hurting our own
men."

The order was obeyed; soon flames were seen to rise beyond the
spot where the fighting was going on, the resistance to the advance
speedily ceased, and a dropping fire took the place of the sustained
roll of musketry which, five minutes later, broke out again at the
edge of the town facing the wood, and the fire of the guns was now
directed against the edge of the forest, to which the Malays had
evidently fled. In a few minutes smoke began to rise all round the
place, showing that the men with port fires were at work, and in
a quarter of an hour the bluejackets and marines were seen issuing
from the houses and coming down to the shore. The place was by this
time a sheet of fire, the lightly built huts, dried in the heat of
the sun, catching like tinder, and blazing up in a fierce flame,
that in a few minutes left no vestige behind it.