“At the first shot from your boat,” cried the skipper, “I’ll give the order too; and my men from shelter can pick off yours much faster than yours from the open boat.”
“Insolent dog!” roared the officer, and raising a revolver he fired at the skipper, the bullet whistling just above his head.
In an instant Poole’s revolver was out, and without aiming he fired too in the direction of the boat. He fired again and again over the attacking party’s heads, until the whole of the six chambers were empty, and with the effect of making the Republican sailors cease rowing, while their boats drifted with the current, rapidly increasing the distance.
The order to fire from the boats did not come, but the second boat closed up to the first, and a loud and excited colloquy arose, there being evidently a difference of opinion between the leaders, one officer being for another attack; the second—so the skipper interpreted it from such of the words as he could catch—being for giving up and going back to the gunboat for advice.
And all the time, both boats still in confusion drifted farther and farther away; but at last the fiery leader of the first gained the day; his fellow gave up, and when the order was given to advance once more in the first boat he supplemented it in the second, and a low deep murmur rose up.
“Why, Fitz,” whispered Poole, “they have had enough of it. The mongrels won’t come on.”
“Think so?” whispered back Fitz, gazing excitedly over the stern, while Poole’s fingers were busy thrusting in fresh cartridges till his revolver chambers were full.
“Yes, it’s plain enough,” cried Poole, for the voices of the officers could be heard angrily threatening and abusing their men; but all in vain.
There was the appearance of struggles going on, and in one boat the sun flashed two or three times from the blade of a sword as it was raised in the air and used as a weapon of correction, its owner striking viciously at his mutinous men.
“Ah!” ejaculated Fitz. “That’s done it. They are more afraid of him than they are of us—of you, I mean. They are coming on again.”