“Cora,” he said, “you and Bessie and your mother will have to go below. More than likely there will be bullets coming aboard of us before we are many minutes older, and I don’t want you people here to get hit.”
“Cora and mama can do as they like,” said Bessie Harlan, replying as if Kane had addressed his remark to her, “but you don’t catch me going below, Maxwell Kane.
“I’d much rather be up here where I can see things than to go down there and never know a thing about what is happening.”
“But, Bess, you’ll be—— There! Look there!”
A half-dozen sharp reports, one following another with great rapidity, came from the deck of the Shadow at that instant, and at least three of the half-pound shot fired from the machine gun knocked splinters out of the woodwork forward, and one of them went through the wheel-house and clipped off one of the spokes as deftly as if it had been a ninepin.
“That looks like business, Mr. Kane,” said Manning coolly.
“Yes,” replied Max. “That chap means business. There is no doubt of that. Hello! What is he going to do now? Sheer off, do you think?”
“No; he’s up to some new deviltry. Forward, there, at the wheel!” called the skipper.
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“Lay her off two more points to port.”