“Quick! In with you!” cried Jack, as he fairly pushed his two companions into the boat.
Then he gave it a hard shove and scrambled in himself.
At that moment, from behind, came the sound of running footsteps and a hoarse voice of command:
“Fire!”
There was a deafening crash and a hail of bullets sped over the little boat, for at the command fire Jack had cried out:
“Down!”
All three lay flat in the bottom of the boat, Jack, with one hand behind him, doing the steering from that position.
A second and a third hail of bullets from behind passed without harming them, and then no more came.
The three sat up in the boat.
“Pretty close, if you ask me,” said Jack.