Suddenly their
yells redoubled, and were answered by similar shouts from the
forest.
"The rajah's troops have come up," the first lieutenant said to
the marine officer; "our position is getting serious. Do you think
that we could make our way back to the boats without great loss?
We have sunk two of their craft, have badly damaged the others,
and inflicted very heavy loss on them."
"It would be a very risky operation; but it might be done, Ferguson.
Listen!"
There was a fresh outburst of shouts, this time on the path by which
they had come. Evidently a number of the newly arrived Malays had
struck into it by some other track from the town.
"That settles it," the lieutenant said shortly; "we must fight it
out here. It is lucky we have a fair stock of ammunition, and can
keep it up for some hours yet. You see, the sailors have not had.
to use their pistols yet, and they will astonish those fellows if
they do manage to scale the sandbags."
For another half hour the fighting continued. Again and again the
Malays fell back, but only to return to the attack with fresh fury,
and the defenders had been obliged to betake themselves more than
once to their pistols. The two heavy guns were now removed from
their position to the sides, for the attack by boats had ceased
entirely, and the destruction of the prahus was of less importance
than the defense of the little fort from the attacks on its flanks.
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