"Fire!" he shouted as he discharged his pistol, and at the same moment
the soldiers beside him discharged their muskets.
A moment later he was engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand conflict.
Several firearms had flashed off almost in his face. One of the
soldiers fell with a sharp cry, but those who were following rushed
forward. Ralph narrowly escaped having his brains dashed out by a
clubbed rifle, but springing back just in time he ran his opponent
through before he could recover his guard.
Just at this moment a big man with a shock of red hair and a huge
beard leveled a blunderbuss at him. It flashed across him that his
last moment had come, when a man behind leaped suddenly upon the
ruffian's back and they fell to the ground together, the blunderbuss
going off in the fall and riddling a soldier standing next to Ralph
with slugs.
For two or three minutes a desperate struggle went on between Ralph
and his six men and those who attempted to break through them.
Sturdily as the soldiers fought they had been driven back toward the
entrance by the assailants, armed with pikes and clubbed guns. There
was no sound of conflict at the other end of the cave, and Ralph felt
that the attack there had for some reason failed.
"Shoulder to shoulder, lads!" he shouted. "We shall have help in a
minute or two.
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