I had been sending the little stream through for some moments before it was seen, and the first intimation we had of the mutineers noticing our defence was the explosion of a pistol, and simultaneously a dull, cracking sound as a bullet passed through the door and was buried in the trunk behind it.
“That don’t matter, Berriman,” cried Jarette; “we have plenty of powder, and you can’t say the same about water.”
I started at this, for it struck me that I had been pouring precious drops away which might mean life. But I laughed directly after, as I recalled the fact that we had only to drop a bucket out of the stern-windows and haul up as much salt water as we liked.
Mr Frewen must have been thinking the same thing, for directly after he and Mr Brymer attached pieces of new halyard to a couple of tin pails, and threw them out of the window, and drew them up full, ready for the next attempt to lay powder.
“No need to pour away the precious drops now,” said Mr Frewen. “But we must have down some of those chests so as to get at the powder easily.”
The words had hardly left his lips when there was the sharp report of Mr Denning’s piece, followed directly after by a second shot, and the rush of feet upon the deck.
Chapter Fifteen.
“Well!” said the captain grimly. “Did you bring down your gaol-bird, sir?”