more valuable than the rest had better be put up to auction, and
whatever they fetch also divided among the men. Were the Malays in
force?"

"The place swarmed with them, sir, but they were evidently
demoralized by the fire of the guns, and their attacks were really
feeble. The only trouble we had was that some would shut themselves
up in houses. It looked at first as if they really meant to fight,
but directly the shells began to fall behind them, and fire broke
out, they lost heart altogether, and made a bolt for the forest."

"Well, the work has been thoroughly done, Mr. Ferguson, and Sehi
has had a lesson that he won't forget. Now we have to tackle his
fleet."

"Everything is ready, sir. We have got the sledges made for the two
guns, and a store of long bamboos for the carriages and anything
else we may want to take with us."

"This will be a more serious business by a long way," the captain
said. "The men had better take a hundred rounds of ammunition
with them, and it would be as well to take a few boxes of spare
cartridges; and the men not occupied in dragging the cannon and
carrying the carriages, must take up as many rounds of shell as
possible, and eight or ten rounds of grape for each gun. You have
got the sacks ready for forming the battery; that will be absolutely
necessary for the protection of the men firing. Each of the prahus
has probably got at least half a dozen small guns, and it would be
hardly possible to work our pieces unless the men were protected
from their concentrated fire. Tell the chief engineer that steam