covered by the chevaux de frise. The front face was twenty-five
feet in length, the sides forty. Morning was breaking as the work
was finished, and bread and cold meat were served out, with a
full ration of grog. By the time these were consumed it was broad
daylight; for there is little twilight so near the equator.

"Now for it, Dick," Harry Parkhurst said, as the lieutenant gave
the signal for all to rise and take their places. Filing out of the
battery, the marines lined the bank on one side, and the sailors,
other than those who were to work the guns, on the other. Some of
the sailors climbed over the front wall and with their jackknives
cut away the boughs in front of the guns. There was silence on board
the prahus, where the Malays had dropped off to sleep a couple of
hours before daylight. Mr. Ferguson himself superintended the laying
of the guns, seeing that each was most carefully trained upon the
waterline of a prahu. As the distance was some seventy or eighty
yards, he had little doubt that the two vessels aimed at would be
sunk at once. When he was thoroughly satisfied, he drew back and
gave the order to fire.

The two reports sounded as if one, and were mingled with the explosion
of shells as they struck the prahus exactly on the waterline.
There was a momentary silence, and then a wild hubbub of yells of
surprise and fury, while a loud cheer broke from the British, as
they saw the success of the shots. Almost instantly the two craft
struck began to settle down, and in a minute disappeared, the water
being covered with the heads of the crew, who were swimming to the
other prahus. The guns of these had evidently been kept loaded,
for before the two eighteen pounders were again ready, a fire was
opened by the four craft, one or two balls striking the sandbags,