When the captain and Tollemache followed Joey's lead, they discerned
three demoniac figures, vaguely outlined by the ruddy glare of the port
light, in the very act of climbing the rails. They fired instantly,
and the naked forms vanished; both men thought they heard the splashing
caused by the leaping or falling of the Indians into the sea. By the
same subdued radiance Courtenay made out the top of a pole or mast
sticking up close to the ship's side. He leaned over, fired a couple
of shots downwards at random, seized the pole, and lashed it to a
stanchion with a loose rope end, a remnant of one of the awnings. A
small craft, even an Indian canoe, would be most useful, and its
capture might tend to scare the attackers.
Telling Tollemache to mount guard, he raced back to the saloon hatch
and summoned assistance. The others searched the ship in small
detachments, but the Indians were gone; it was manifest that none
beyond those driven off at the first onset had secured a footing on
deck. Then, taking the risk of being shot at, Courtenay ordered the
lights to be turned on, and the first person he saw clearly was Elsie.
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