It was jolly refreshing, I can tell you, and warm and oily.
He took his rifle from me and watched me drink.
"You'll put in a good word for me, sir, when we gets aboard the Laird; now, won't you, sir?"
I promised that I would do so, but could not help smiling.
"You see that 'ere Chinaman?" he said presently, jerking his thumb towards a motionless blue heap which lay about a hundred yards away along the crest—one of those who had bolted away from Captain Hunter. "I shot 'im, sir; knocked 'im all of a 'eap. Caught 'im in the upper works I did, sir, an' 'e jest toppled over an' over an' never moved a 'air, though there I was all waiting, with another cartridge jammed in, in case 'e did.
"Never moved a 'air," he kept repeating softly to himself, evidently vastly contented with his marksmanship, "an' with that 'ere rifle too," and he kept patting its breech.
"Eh! look at that, sir!" he said, pointing down to the harbour, just after the Krupp gun had fired again, and jumped to his feet, waving his rifle over his head and cheering loudly, as did the others, for the shell had landed, fair and square, in the cruiser's stern, and seemed to have practically wrecked her.
Every man on top of the hill roared himself hoarse.
However, they sank down behind the sand-bags again, for they had drawn a rapid fire from "Bush Hill" and the field-guns.
I watched the great clouds of black smoke rolling up from the cruiser.