A savage roar rose from his men, answered by another from within.
"Hurt, Mark Eden ?" cried Ralph excitedly, catching at his brother leader, and saving him from going down.
"No: feel stupid," panted Mark, who looked confused and dizzy; "point struck this stupid steel cap;" and he tore it off, and threw it down, though it had in all probability saved his life; the step back he had taken, however, had lessened the force of the thrust.

"Better now .-- Here, stop them.

They are doing no good." For enraged by what had taken place, the attacking party had rushed in again, to go on stabbing and thrusting away with their pikes, keeping up a series of rattlings and clashings, till Ralph made his voice heard, and they drew back, growling angrily, and the weird light shed by the torches showed that blood had begun to flow from hands and arms.
"We must do something different to this," cried Ralph, as soon as the yells of derision which greeted their repulse were over.
"Yes, young idiot! Go home to bed," shouted the captain hoarsely.

Then he burst into a savage tirade of curses, for Dummy, in his rage at being right at the back, had thrown another blazing torch straight in over the bristling pike-heads, lighting up the interior, and showing the savage faces of the defenders close together.

Ralph judged that the link had struck the captain.
"Stand fast, men," he whispered.