ferocious cry, ' Tah! tah-h-h!' But we were
ready for them, musket or rifle in hand.
Every man that touched our boarding nettings
lost his life, many falling between the two
vessels. Fortunately, my mates prevented the
enemy using their terrible 'stinkpots,' by
shooting down man after man as they tried
to ascend the rigging for that purpose. Upon
our side, the two men at our mastheads,
not being exposed to expert marksmen, had
managed to throw several of their missiles.
These, however, had not taken effect, having
been caught by men specially told off for that
duty, and who were stationed at different parts
of our antagonist's deck.*
* Chinese vessels generally carry two or three
hands expressly engaged for the duty of catching
stinkpots, at which they are very expert. No
one else could catch the thin clay jars without
breaking them. The missiles are harmless if not
broken, as the combustible contents do not then
come into contact with the pieces of burning
charcoal, or joss stick, fastened outside.

"'Tah! tah!' yelled a particularly shrill and
savage voice, giving the commands on board our
assailant.

"Jack Ikey was standing by my side. He
started at the sound of that voice, lowered his
rifle, and exclaimed:

"'By Heaven! skipper, it is that rascal I
helped over the side last night!'

"Sure enough there he stood, the sham pilot,
the spy who had so cunningly boarded us in
order to ascertain our strength and armament,
bedecked in mandarin hat, button, and feathers,
as commodore of the squadron.

"Jack hastily capped his rifle, hissed between
his teeth two words, took a steady aim, and
fired.

"The mandarin, however, had seen his movement
and intention, and sprang aside, too late
to avoid the shot, but quick enough to spoil
my mate's deadly aim, and only receive a wound
in the arm, instead of a bullet through the
heart.

"At this critical instant, when, in all probability,
we should have been able to get clear of
the vessel that had run us aboard, by taking
advantage of the confusion consequent upon her
commander's injury, we were compelled to forego
the opportunity by turning to defend
ourselves in a new quarter. The two sternmost
ti-mungs had been enabled to come up since
our way had been checked through being
grappled by their consort. The nearest of them
was now rounding-to under our stern, and
preparing to rake us with a broadside that would
be delivered within pistol range. This was the
moment for which I had reserved our 'Long
Tom.' Shouting to my men forward to let go
the fore-sheet, so as to cause the lorcha to fly
up in the wind, I took the trigger lanyard in my
own hand; then, as our rapidly altered position
brought this fresh assailant two or three points
on the quarter (in the very place I desired, and
which prevented her delivering a broadside
through fear that it might injure her commodore's
vessel), I fired my long eighteen, and had
the satisfaction to see its double charge of two
round-shot tear a great rent in her bow, betwixt
wind and water.

"Fortunately, the heavy recoil of the gun
gave so great a shock to the lorcha that it
parted the principal fastening by which the big
ti-mung had lashed herself alongside, and
which had already been strained to the utmost
as we flew up in the wind, after letting go the
fore-sheet, dragging the lumbering and heavy
war-junk after us. Not a second was to be lost.
With a loud shout I ordered my mates—
Manillamen, Cantonese, and all, to throw off the
remaining grapnels. In another instant we were
free, and slowly forging ahead.

"But now the second of the sternmost vessels
had overhauled us, and for some ten or fifteen
minutes we maintained a running fight, almost
muzzle to muzzle, right between her and
our big antagonist, one on either beam.
Providentially the breeze increased, and in a few
moments our superior sailing qualities enabled
us to leave the enemy astern, otherwise they
would certainly have sunk or captured us. As
it was, more than half my crew were placed
hors-de-combat.

"Poor Joe! Whilst so closely engaged with
the two ti-mungs, a round shot, fired while
almost touching him, had cut his body in half.

"Our decks were an awful sight, and I
left Jack Ikey to clear them directly we
entered a channel intersecting that which I had
originally taken, and which led to the sea within
a short distance of Macao. We had gained
considerably on our pursuers, who gave up the
chase as soon as we entered this branch of the
river, feeling satisfied, no doubt, that as long as
the breeze lasted, they would not be able to
overhaul us again.

"Little did I suspect the cunning course they
were about to pursue!

"Having received a slight but painful wound
in the shoulder, I went below for my wife to
dress it. I began to feel sick and faint, and
as no trace of our late assailants could be
seen, as nothing but a number of trading junks
were in sight, and although the breeze was
failing with the approach of night, I could not
resist the inclination to sleep; I turned in.
How long I had been sleeping I cannot tell,
when, suddenly, in the middle of the night, I
was aroused by a violent shock, followed by the
report of firearms, the trampling of many feet
overhead, and the hideous yelling of Chinese
warfare. I snatched up a revolver, and rushed on
deck, accompanied by my wife.

"The first glimpse was enough: we were
in the hands of the Imperialists! The decks
were full of them, and still they came. They
were jumping on board by dozens from the
cocked-up ends of a couple of big junks of the
trading class that were hanging fast to us, one
on each side.

"We were lying at anchor off Ihe coast, and
I knew in an instant how the affair had taken