Fortunately our adventurers had good repeating Winchesters, and they were enabled to keep up a good steady fire.
But the barbarians now began hurling their javelins. One nearly impaled Jack. This caused him to shout:
“This way, Captain Hardy! We must get shelter!”
Both retreated to the cover of some blocks of ice and the battle went on.
They pluckily held the foe at bay. But the barbarians seemed to become legion in number.
It seemed as if a hundred of them at least had appeared upon the scene from some mysterious source.
And now our adventurers made an appalling discovery.
This was that they had neglected to take sufficient ammunition from the ship with them. But a few more rounds of cartridges were left.
With blanched faces they looked at each other.
“My boy,” said Captain Hardy, steadily, “I fear it is all up with us!”