"Well done, my lads! That"s good!" cried a hoa.r.s.e voice; and Tomati was close to them. "Keep that up; but hold your fire till you see them trying to get over, and wherever you see that, run there and give "em a couple of shots. Ha, ha! Ha, ha!" he roared, as he rushed away to encourage his followers, just as Jem had rammed home his charge, and examined the priming in the pistol pan.
"That"s just what we will do," said Jem; "only I should like to keep at it while my blood"s warm. If I cool down I can"t fight. Say, Mas" Don, I hope we didn"t kill those two chaps."
"I hope they"re wounded, Jem, so that they can"t fight," replied Don, as he finished his priming. "Quick! They"re getting up yonder."
They ran across to the other side of the _pah_, and repeated their previous act of defence with equally good result; while the defenders, who had seemed to be flagging, yelled with delight at the two young Englishmen, and began fighting with renewed vigour.
"Load away, Mas" Don!" cried Jem; "make your ramrod hop. Never mind the pistol kicking; it kicks much harder with the other end. Four men down.
What would my Sally say?"
"Hi! Quick, my lads!" shouted Tomati; and as Don looked up he saw the tattooed Englishman, who looked a very savage now, pointing with his spear at one corner of the place.
Don nodded, and ran with Jem in the required direction, finishing the loading as they went.
It was none too soon, for three of the enemy were on the top of the fence, and, spear in hand, were about to drop down among the defenders.
_Bang_! Went Jem"s pistol, and one of the savages fell back.
_Bang_! Don"s shot followed, and the man at whom he aimed fell too, but right among the spears of the defenders; while the third leaped into the _pah_, and the next moment lay transfixed by half-a-dozen weapons.
"I don"t like this, Jem," muttered Don, as he loaded again.
"More don"t I, my lad; but it"s shoot them or spear us; so load away."
Jem words were so much to the point, that they swept away Don"s compunction, and they hastily reloaded.
All around were the yelling and clashing of spears; and how many of the attacking party fell could not be seen, but there was constantly the depressing sight of some brave defender of the women and children staggering away from the fence, to fall dead, or to creep away out of the struggle to where the weeping women eagerly sought to staunch his wounds and give him water.
"That"s splendid, my lads! That"s splendid! Ten times better than using a spear," cried Tomati, coming up to them again. "Plenty of powder and ball?"
"Not a very great deal," said Don.
"Be careful, then, and don"t waste a shot. They can"t stand that."
"Shall we beat them off?" said Don, after seeing that his pistol was charged.
"Beat them off? Why, of course. There you are again. Look sharp!"
Once more the two pistols cleared the attacking Maoris from the top of the fence, where they were vainly trying to cut through the lashings; and, cheered on by these successes, the defenders yelled with delight, and used their spears with terrible effect. But the attacking party, after a recoil, came on again as stubbornly as ever, and it was plain enough to those who handled the firearms that it was only a question of time before the besieged would be beaten by numbers; and Don shuddered as he thought of the ma.s.sacre that must ensue.
He had been looking round, and then found that Jem was eyeing him fixedly.
"Just what I was a-thinking, Mas" Don. We"ve fought like men; but we can"t do impossibles, as I says to your uncle, when he wanted me to move a mola.s.ses barrel. Sooner we cuts and runs, the better."
"I was not thinking of running, Jem."
"Then you ought to have been, my lad; for there"s them at home as wouldn"t like us two to be killed."
"Don"t! Don"t! Jem!" cried Don. "Come on. There"s a man over! Two-- three--four! Look!"
He ran toward the side, where a desperate attack was being made, and, as he said, four men were over, and others following, when once more the pistols sent down a couple who had mounted the fence, one of them being shot through the chest, the other dropping on seeing his companion fall, but with no further hurt than the fright caused by a bullet whistling by his ear.
The four who were over made a desperate stand, but Tomati joined in the attack, and the daring fellows soon lay weltering in their blood; while, as Don rapidly loaded once more, he saw that Tomati was leaning on his spear, and rocking himself slowly to and fro.
"Are you hurt?" said Don, running up, and loading as he went.
"Hurt, my lad? Yes: got it horrid. Look here, if you and him see a chance make for the mountain, and then go south"ard."
"But shall we be beaten?"
"We are beaten, my lad, only we can"t show it. I"m about done."
"Oh!"
"Hush! Don"t show the white feather, boy. Keep on firing, and the beggars outside may get tired first. If not--There, fire away!"
He made a brave effort to seem unhurt, and went to a.s.sist his men; while once more Don and Jem ran to the side, and fired just in time to save the lashings of the fence; but Jem"s pistol went off with quite a roar, and he flung the stock away, and stood shaking his bleeding fingers.
"Are you hurt, Jem?"
"Hurt! He says, "Am I hurt?" Why, the precious thing bursted all to shivers; and, oh, crumpets, don"t it sting!"
"Let me bind it up."
"You go on and load; never mind me. Pretty sort o" soldier you"d make.
D"yer hear? Load, I say; load!"
"Can"t, Jem," said Don sadly; "that was my last charge."
"So it was mine, and I rammed in half-a-dozen stones as well to give "em an extra dose. Think that"s what made her burst?"
"Of course it was, Jem."
"Bad job; but it"s done, and we"ve got the cutlash and spears. Which are you going to use?"
"The spear. No; the cutla.s.s, Jem."
"Bravo, my lad! Phew! How my hand bleeds."
"I"m afraid we shall be beaten, Jem."
"I"m sure of it, my lad. My right hand, too; I can"t hit with it. Wish we was all going to run away now."
"Do you, Jem?"
"Ay, that I do; only we couldn"t run away and leave the women and children, even if they are beaten."
A terrible yelling and shrieking arose at that moment from behind where they stood, and as they turned, it was to see the whole of the defenders, headed by Tomati, making a rush for one portion of the fence where some of the stout poles had given way. A breach had been made, and yelling like furies, the enemy were pouring through in a crowd.