Cummins had only forty-eight men left, and though they were well in hand and were steadying every minute, the odds were sufficiently serious.
He was perhaps not so anxious about himself as for the second party, which was now reported by "No. 3" as being more than half-way up the hill. If the Chinese attacked them whilst they were struggling through the thick undergrowth, encumbered with the two Maxims, ammunition, and provision-boxes, it would go hard with them. Once they joined him with their machine-guns, he was confident of holding his ground till the oil arrived and enabled him to fire the big Krupp. His right flank, too, gave him little concern, for it was comparatively open in that direction, and gave no shelter for an attacking force; and so long as "No. 3" could sweep the sea-slope of the hill, he did not worry about his rear.
But could "No. 3" do so?
The wind, which had been blowing strongly from the north-west, was already beginning to veer again to the south, and was increasing rapidly in strength, and Cummins knew only too well that neither "No. 3" could remain near the foot of the hill, nor the Sylvia near enough to the low land to smother those two field-guns if the wind remained in that quarter and brought in a heavy sea.
Unsupported by the ships, he recognized that his position would be precarious in the extreme.
If, too, the Strong Arm's party followed his route of the night before, they would run right into the Chinese massed on his flank. Fortunately he could communicate with them through "No. 3", and signalled directions for them to incline to their right and make for the shoulder of the hill on the eastern or gun-pit side of the top.
It took twenty minutes to get the signal to them and to get a reply, and it was a great relief to him when the signalman reported that the Strong Arm's landing-party had received the signal and were already altering their course.
"The oil is also on its way up," was the signalman's welcome news.
"I don't know what we should do without you, Gordon," the Commander said; "keep under cover as much as you can."
A marine now came hurriedly over to the Commander with a message from Captain Williams.