Tom and Desmond were not very complimentary to the stupid old mate who had been the cause of the disaster. Tom, who was acting as signal-midshipman, had been for some time examining the shore, when he caught sight of some figures moving along in the distance. Presently, as they approached, he could see that they formed a small body of Cossack cavalry; two of them galloped on ahead, till they got near enough to ascertain the condition of the ship. A shot from one of her long guns, though it missed them, sent them to the right-about, and the whole body soon afterwards disappeared. No long time, however, had elapsed when they were again discerned coming in the direction of the ship, accompanied by a body of infantry and several field-pieces.
“We must be ready for those fellows,” observed Terence, “and do our best to dismount their guns.”
While one portion of the crew were sent to their quarters, the others were kept employed in endeavouring to haul off the ship. On came the infantry, looking out for such imperfect shelter as could be found on the coast; and the guns, which had remained some way behind them, opened their fire on the ship. They were not ill served, and their shot fell pretty thickly about her. Terence immediately ordered his guns to be fired in return, when the Cossacks, wheeling about, retired to a safe distance.
“I can’t say much for the gunnery of those fellows,” said Tom; “not a shot has struck us yet.”
“Wait a bit, my boy,” answered Desmond; “they’ll get the range presently. It’s more easy for them to hit a big object like our ship, than it is for us to reach those little gimcracks of guns.”
The Russian riflemen having in the meantime advanced, their bullets kept whistling through the air, close to the heads of the crew, who, however, took no more notice of them than had they been pellets from pop-guns. At last a shot from the Flash struck the earth directly in front of one of the Russian guns, which at the same instant was fired, and the next, when the dust and smoke had cleared away, it was seen upset with its carriage broken, and several gunners lying stretched on the earth on either side of it. The other guns, however, still kept their position, and fired away as briskly as before.
“They’ll be after getting tired of that,” observed Desmond, “if we can manage to send another of our pills down their throats like the last.”
The firing was kept up for some time on both sides without intermission, no apparent effect being produced on the enemy, while the ship was frequently hulled by their shot. Still Adair did not despair of getting her off, and as soon as the tide began to rise, he set to work with renewed energy. He and his crew seemed to bear charmed lives; for though the shot caught the rigging above their heads, and came plunging into the ship’s side, not one of them had been hit.
“There’s a fresh body of the enemy coming down, sir,” said Tom, pointing to the north-east.
“If they are only Cossacks they’ll not harm us,” answered Adair, taking a look in the direction Tom pointed through his telescope. “I am not quite certain about that same,” he observed to his first lieutenant.