All at once Jack, who walked on the doctor’s left, held his gun in his left hand only, and made a sign with his right.
His companion crept close to him, and the next moment a flock of enormous pigeons, which had been feeding on the fallen nuts of one of the biggest trees, rose with a tremendous rushing of wings, and four barrels were fired into them, with the result that three birds fell.
“Our dinner, Jack, and the men’s too,” cried the doctor; and the boy felt a chill of horror run through him, as from close behind there was a wild cry from Ned, followed by a shouting amongst the men a dozen yards below. Then shot—shot—shot followed one another quickly, and Lenny cried—
“Down, gentlemen, down!”
The doctor dropped instinctively, and began to creep to Ned, who had fallen heavily, when he heard Lenny cry—
“Down, Mr Jack—down!” and he saw the lad standing motionless, staring with horror at the ground.
The next instant something whizzed by his ear and struck quivering in the tree-trunk behind. Then he dropped into shelter, and began rapidly to reload.
“Fall back on us, my lads,” said the doctor sharply, “and don’t fire unless you have a good chance. Keep well under cover.”
“The blacks?” panted Jack.
The doctor nodded. “Is Ned—hurt much?”