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240 The fall of their leader disconcerted the Chinamen, and again they halted. In the meantime Matt Gory had picked out the officer in the second boat and laid him low with a bullet through the chest.

"Hurrah fer Uncle Sam!" roared the Irish sailor enthusiastically. "Hurrah fer another Dewey victory!" and he discharged an additional musket and a second Celestial fell over among his companions.

But now the fighting became general and to go into all of the details would be impossible. I fired three shots and then saw three Chinamen coming up over the stern of the Dart, where those from shore and those from the second small boat had joined forces.

"They are coming aboard!" cried Dan. "Fire at, them! Give it to them hot!" and he blazed away, and one of the Celestials fell back among his friends.

But now five of the enemy came up, firing several rounds as they advanced, and the deck became filled with smoke. Soon it was a hand-to-hand encounter, and we found ourselves gradually forced back to the companion way.

"We can't stand up against 'em!" panted Matt Gory, as he shouldered up to me with the blood streaming from a cut in his cheek. "They