"Now, lads, follow me," Harry shouted as the Malays strove to push
their craft away. Followed by a dozen sailors, they leaped on to
her deck; but the efforts of the Malays succeeded in thrusting the
vessels apart. In vain the midshipmen and their followers fought
desperately. Harry was felled by a blow with a war club, Dick cut
down with a kris; half the seamen were killed, the others jumped
overboard and swam back to their vessel. Lieutenant Hopkins shouted
to the men to take to the boats, and the two cutters were speedily
manned. One, however, was in a sinking condition; but Lieutenant
Hopkins with the other started in pursuit of the prahu, whose crew
had already got their oars out, and in spite of the efforts of the
sailors, soon left them behind. Pursuit was evidently hopeless, and
reluctantly the lieutenant ordered the men to row back. On returning
to the scene of combat, they saw sunk near the bank the fourth
of the prahus. "The spy was so far right," the second lieutenant
muttered--"this fellow did sink; now we must see that she does
no more mischief." He brought the captured prahu alongside the
others, whose decks were but a foot or two below the water, and
fired several shots through their bottoms. Then he set the captured
craft on fire and took to the boats, which with great difficulty
forced their way under the fallen tree and rowed back to the ship.
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