Page 40 (2/2)

Laurence heaved off the corpse and looked past hi knife fro to the blade There was blue light shining cold off the rey color over his face, and a hissing streak overhead: the signal-rocket had gone

Thataboard the Maréchal also: they had been made, and now the next ten minutes, perhaps not even so many, would determine the fate of their venture If the deck could not be held, on either ship; if the frigates were already awake and launching their boats--

And then Teh the world itself were shattering, and Laurence felt even the greatas the ocean unsettled around her Away across the water he could hear cries of alar thumps as of a hailstorm, if hail were ons were dropping bushels of rock upon the frigates, going after the gun-boats where they were lashed to their trestles

Laurence could not spare tione home; behind hirowing suddenly light: theout one of its slats, evidently, to drain it empty and allow them to push their way to the deck "Hold it down, Wesket," Laurence shouted at one of the sailors, and moved to protect the man’s back froain as Te up he tore the French colors froain: eventhemselves flat on the deck in horror at that noise, and Dulcia caed to plant herself soan to pluck one Frenchman after another off the deck, and hurl them out into the ocean

"Laurence!" Teht of him then: all the way at the far end of the ship, near the stern ladderway, and quite surrounded by French prone upon the deck for no reason which Temeraire could see Temeraire snorted reproachfully: soback "Dulcia!" he called to her "Pray will you look after Laurence: I ates to e"

"I will; is Chenery there?" she called back, while obligingly lunging out across the deck and seizing a couple of men in her jaws, to throw them overboard, who had risen to their feet and approached Laurence

"He is, here in the rigging," Te hiet myself across the deck of a ship, I hope!" Chenery said, looking up and wiping sweat off his brow "Just you take these caltrops, will you, and heave them over"

"Oh; I will use the theup the corners of the caltrop-sheets He carried theate, which was bringing her guns to bear on the deck of the Polonaise, he called, "Iskierka!"

"I aate which she was circling: she was breathing fla at the to shoay and take another prize," Te to take the transports, and all we have to do with the frigates is to keep them off until the transports have struck: now pray fire these for me, as I drop them"

"Oh, very well; if you will come back to this one, after, and tell them in French to strike; I do not think they can understandover to him: he shook the caltrop-sacks open, and she blazed away at thes were half-ate, and all the gun-boats, and so beca in satisfaction: the crews had dived away to avoid the rain of se their boats

He looked up sharp, however: there was a fresh roaring, around the other side of the second transport, but this ti in pain

Teates which he had thought disabled by the rocks had ondeck, and had all-too-cleverly reserved her fire until the moment when Maxione at once, and poor Maxi rent showed in one of his wings, where theloose as a piece of cut sailcloth, and he was bleeding black from shoulder and haunch and side The Maréchal’s foremast also had been badly shattered, and splinters stuck porcupine-like fro his head back and forth with his eyes shut tight, bellowing, and uns

But even as Temeraire fleards the running strea the deck, directly above the sides which faced the Maréchal, and cries rose up with the hissing steaundeck and spattered the crews Te in a rush, and roared up the ocean furiously: the frigate reeled away on a great twenty-foot swell, and the second broadside erupted only stuttering, to hurl the cannonballs into the ocean some ten yards ahead of the Maréchal’s keel

"There!" Temeraire said, triu, and nearly dropped into the sea: there was a dreadful burning pain just beneath his wing-joint, so that to stay aloft was agony with each stroke; he cried out gasping again, and abruptly Kulingile was there beside hiht, and saw him down to the deck of the Maréchal beside Maxi a breath, "Laurence--"

"He has not got hi away urgently and with his arms bloodied to the shoulder, "so just you hold still there, until one of us can co ensign as te to assist hi the wounds, "pack that sailcloth in harder; stand on it, if you have to"