Encouraged by the success of his first attempt, Tyler dived below and quickly returned with more ammunition; then with the greatest care he levelled the weapon a second time and fired, with the result that the ball struck the prahu heavily. Instantly a puff of smoke burst from her bows, and a shot came whizzing over the schooner, narrowly missing the mast.
"Two can play at the same game, that is evident," cried Tyler, undismayed by their narrow escape. "I will give them another shot or two, and then I fancy that it will be time for us to get ashore, for a well-aimed ball from the prahu might damage us severely and spoil our plans."
For the third time he trained the six-pounder upon the enemy, and, waiting for a moment till the muzzle of the gun covered the prahu, he sent a shot screeching in her direction. Crash! Even at that distance he could almost hear the missile strike upon her deck, and a keen glance showed him that the utmost confusion had resulted, for Malays could be seen rushing towards the spot, while a burly figure standing beside the tiller shook a fist furiously in the air. But whatever the damage done, it did not retard the course of the prahu. She came on at a rapid rate, her sails bellying out in the breeze, and her lee-rail awash with the water.
"It is high time that we made for the shore," exclaimed Tyler. "I see that we are now entering the river, and within five minutes we ought to be round the bend which hides the upper reaches. Keep at your post, John, and head her to the left. Then, the instant we are round the corner, bring her up into the wind and put the weapons in the dinghy. While you are doing that I will go below, and as soon as I have knocked the plugs out of the holes we will say farewell to the schooner. Now, over with her!"
With a swing the vessel shot round the angle of land which seemed to bar the opening of the river, and having been allowed to run forward some two hundred yards, until hidden by a dense mass of forest trees which intervened between herself and the prahu, she was thrown with her head into the wind, which set her sail flapping loosely. With a twist of a rope attached to the bulwarks John Marshall secured the tiller in position, and at once commenced to carry out Tyler's orders. As for the latter, he ran below and, seizing the hammer, began to knock out the plugs which kept the schooner from sinking. At any other time, no doubt, he would have hesitated before doing such a thing, for the ship was not his own property, and to sacrifice her seemed almost an act of folly. But an instant's thought convinced him that it was the only thing that he could do, and therefore he set to at the work with the full knowledge that by sinking the ship he prevented her from falling into the hands of the pirates.
"That will soon send her to the bottom!" he exclaimed as he dragged the last plug from its position, and stood there watching some dozen columns of clear water spouting up into the hold. "And now to get ashore."
With one last glance around he ran to the ladder and quickly rejoined his companion. Then both hastily quitted the schooner, and, taking their places in the tiny dinghy, pulled for the shore.