“Quick!”
They sprang to the boat together.
“Off with the painter!” he gasped, and stopped.
Standing against the seat aft was Dan Creyton’s Winchester rifle, and beside it was a box of cartridges!
At heart Tom Pagdin was not a coward.
Real cowardice is a thing few Australian bush lads have any use for.
Tom had been out kangaroo shooting, and he knew the mechanism of a Winchester.
In less time that it takes to write, the pirate had the rifle out of the boat, twelve cartridges in the magazine, and the balance of the box loose in his pocket.
His hand shook with excitement but there was a fire in his eye that boded no good for Jean Petit.
“Let him come now!” sobbed Tom, pulling the hammer back to full cock. “Let the d——hound come!!”