The Pearl swung her bowsprit round a bit.
"Steady! jus' there!" called out Captain Marat again.
It was the first bend in the tortuous channel. It was deep in the fairway, we had only to avoid the points.
We had made another turn, and were near half way down the channel, when the flash and rat-a-tat of a score of guns sounded on the heights to our starboard, and the lead rained like hail on our deck. Marat's and Norris's rifles answered. Norris, for some reason withheld the fire of the big gun.
"Anyone hurt?" called Norris.
There was no answer.
"Keep behind your mattresses," he cautioned.
He swung the big gun round, as I could hear. As much as a minute passed with no sound on shore. Then came another volley from the enemy. The two rifles replied again. There came another pattering of bullets from the enemy. Norris spat out an oath. The next moment Ray called to me, saying that Norris was wounded. Leaving the fore-sheet to the sailors, I scurried over to the gun, and we began to uncover Norris's wound.
"It's nothing bad, give them the gun first," he said.
Carlos seized the carriage and began to train the gun while random shots continued from the enemy.