In such wise
did the battle open. Courtenay, more amused than anxious, did not
silence the terrier, and Joey's barking speedily rose to a shrill and
breathless hysteria. Some savage, more skilled than his fellows,
reproduced this falsetto with marvelous exactness. There never was a
death struggle heralded by such grotesque humor; it might have been a
tragedy of marionettes, a Dutch concert on the verge of the pit.
The long-range firing was kept up for several minutes, much to
Courtenay's relief, as Suarez was certain that the Indians' stock of
cartridges did not amount to more than four hundred at the utmost. The
canoes crept gradually nearer, and bullets began to strike the ship
frequently. One glanced off a davit and shattered a couple of windows
in the chart-house. This incident aroused even greater enthusiasm than
the first blow of the attack. There was renewed activity among the
paddle wielders. Two canoes were not fifty yards from the most
southerly floating mine. Courtenay commenced to haul in the slack of
one among the half-dozen thin cords: he turned to tell Suarez to be
ready for the duty which had been entrusted to him, when his glance
happened to travel towards the mouth of the bay.
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