Then he shook hands with the king and hurried away to action.
He had had a skiff of great speed built expressly for this great day. His oarsmen were two, with a child to steer, and Somali Jack with the rifles in the stern sheets.
There were only fifty cartridges left!
On came Kara’s great fleet.
They had three miles and over to row, and they were allowed to do more than two-thirds of the distance before ever Harry ordered his boats to shove off to meet them.
Greatly to his surprise and joy he noticed that the enemy’s boats were far too much crowded to permit anything like freedom of action among the men.
“That scores one for us,” he said to himself.
The swift boats were now ordered off. These—as already stated—were manned with archers, and were now told to meet and harass the foe with clouds of arrows, but on no condition to close with them.
They were to hang on both flanks of the approaching fleet, and fire low, well, and steadily. These were in command of Walda.
The king’s barge was next ordered out. She was manned by thirty of the bravest and biggest of the islanders, and each had, in addition to a spear, a ponderous battle-axe.