That big scrape she got as she came over the rafe, I'm afeard, took off a bit av her kale, sorr." "Right you are, Rooney, sensible as ever," said Mr Mackay.

"We'll have a boat over the side at once and see to it." This, however, was a work of time, for the jolly-boat, which was the only one of moderate size we had left, since the dinghy had been carried away in the typhoon, was stowed inside the long-boat; and so purchases had to be rigged to the fore and main yards before it could be raised from its berth and hoisted over the ship's bulwarks.
But, all hands helping, the job was done at last; when Mr Mackay descended the side-ladder into the boat along with the boatswain and a couple of men to pull round the ship, so as to ascertain what, if any, damage she might have received.

I could not help noticing, though, that the captain did not exhibit the slightest interest when the first mate submitted what he was about to do and asked his permission--only telling him that he might go if he liked, but he thought it of little use! I should have liked to have gone with them too, and I mentioned this to Tom Jerrold, as he and I leant over the bows and watched the jolly-boat and those in her below us; for although Tim Rooney had spoken of the ship being "high and dry" she was still in shallow water forward, the shelly bottom being to be seen at the depth of two or three feet or so, the beach shelving abruptly.
While the two of us were looking at the boat, though, and the island in front spread out before us, with its solitary tree, ruined Chinese pagoda and all, which Ching Wang was also inspecting with much interest from the forecastle, we were suddenly startled by a shout aft from Captain Gillespie, who still remained on the poop.
"Hi, Mackay," he cried, "come back.

Here is that blessed proa and junk, and a whole fleet of pirates after us!" This made both Tom and I turn pale, although Ching Wang betrayed no expression of alarm when we explained the captain's hail to him, only his little beady eyes twinkling.
"You fightee number one chop, tyfong makee scarcee chop chop, Sabby?
No goodee when sailor-mannee fightee!" When we got aft, where we were soon joined by Mr Mackay, who had instantly obeyed the captain's order of recall, and said, by the way, that they could not discover much injury to the ship forward save that a portion of her false keel had been torn off, "Old Jock" pointed out some specks on the horizon to windward.

These, on being scrutinised through the glass by the first mate, were declared to be the now familiar proa and her consort, a fact which I corroborated with my naked eye from the mizzen cross-trees whither I at once ascended.
The sea, I noticed too, had calmed down considerably outside the reef, which the pirate junks gained later on in the afternoon, coming through the opening we had observed to the south and west one by one, in single file, and then advancing towards the Silver Queen in line.
Presently, when about half a mile off, they stopped on a flag being hoisted by the leading proa, which appeared to command the expedition; and then, amidst the hideous din of a lot of tin-kettly drums and gongs, the pirates, for such they now showed themselves to be without doubt, opened fire on the ship with cannon and jingals--the balls from the former soon singing in the air as they passed over our masts, their aim, however, being rather high and eccentric, although the first that whistled past made me duck my head in fright, thinking it was coming towards me.
"Oh!" I cried; but I may say without any exaggeration or desire to brag, that I did not flinch again, nor did I utter another "Oh!".