"I'll do what you order, no matter what it is," said Tom, and Sam went at once to the bow of his boat.
His boys were crouching down on their knees to keep themselves as steady as they could, and their guns, which they were protecting from the rain, were not visible to the men in the other boat, who were astonished to find that they had, as they supposed, only to arrest a boat's crew of unarmed boys.
The boats were now within a stone's throw of each other, the English boat lying a little to the left of Sam's track, but the officer in command of it, supposing that the party would surrender at the word of command, ordered his men not to open fire.
"They's a mighty heap on 'em for sich a little boat," whispered Sid Russell.
"So much the better," said Sam. "They're badly crowded."
Then, turning to his companions, he said:—
"Lie down, quick, they'll fire in a moment."
The boys could see no indication of any such purpose on the part of the British marines, but Sam knew what he was about and he knew that his next order to his boys would draw a volley upon them.
Turning to Tom, and straightening himself up to his full height, while the British officer was loudly calling to him to lie to and surrender, Sam cried out:
"Jam your helm down to larboard, Tom, quick and hard, and ram her into 'em!"