“Five boys and a dog,” says Binney.
“More’n that,” says Mark, with the sort of look he wears when he’s got an unpleasant surprise waiting for somebody. “I calc’late we’ll have quite a sizable army when the time comes.”
“Goin’ to enlist the fish?” says Plunk.
“Might if I had to,” says Mark, and I’ll bet he would have found some way to use them if he’d had to.
The Japanese began to stir around and pretty soon they started for the boat. Mark began giving orders.
“Motu and Plunk, you’re strongest. Get those two long p-p-poles inside; I’ve put spikes in ’em. Regular p-pike-poles. Use ’em to fend off the boat. Jab the spikes in the boat and p-push. Keep ’em from touchin’ the shore. You ought to be able to hold ’em ten feet away.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” says Plunk.
He turned and scooted into the citadel as fast as his size would let him, and that was faster than you would expect. In a jiffy he was back with a couple of poles an inch and a half thick and eight feet long, with a big pad like a boxing-glove on the end of each. He’d been making them on the quiet while the rest of us were fooling around.
“Tallow and Binney, take these lances,” says he, “When a m-m-man steps off a boat he isn’t balanced very well. If anybody gets to land jab this into his stomach and poke him back. Keep the lances handy for close work. Use your slingshots for artillery. As soon as the boat starts out open fire. Aim for the f-f-fingers of the men rowin’.”
“What are you aimin’ to do?” says I.