"
Courtenay found himself wondering what had caused this flash of
rapiers. But, so far as he was concerned, the proceedings of the
Indians put a stop to any further share in the conversation. The canoe
had drifted closer to the ship. It was about eighty yards distant when
the Indian who was on his feet suddenly whirled a sling, and sent a
stone crashing through the window of the music-room. The heavy
missile, which, when picked up, was found to weigh nearly half a pound,
just missed Tollemache, who was the first to take note of the sharp
warning given by Suarez, but failed, nevertheless, to dodge quickly
enough.
The captain raised a double-barreled fowling-piece, the only gun on
board, and fired point blank at the savages. But the women were
paddling away vigorously, and the shot splashed in the water on all
sides of the canoe, though a howl and a series of violent contortions
showed that one, at least, of the pellets had stung the wizened Indian
whom Suarez believed to be a newcomer.
There was no second shot--cartridges were too precious to be wasted at
an impossible range--but the undeniable fact remained that the Indians
meant to be aggressive.
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