necessary to put any restraint upon their movements either by way of disarmament or by keeping them "before the mast." It seemed to him absurd to place under suspicion these eager visitors who, with childlike curiosity, roamed about the ship inspecting its equipment and examining with especial interest the arrangements for the accommodation of the officers and crew. So the day wore on with men coming and going between the two vessels without restraint as the work of unloading the cargo of the captured junk proceeded. There was even a certain amount of friendly intercourse between the two crews, and on the part of the Tiger's officers a display of hospitality. Glasses were lifted and eyes spoke apparently cordial sentiments which could not be expressed by the ordinary medium. The prevailing note of the gathering was one of almost idyllic peacefulness.
In a twinkling the scene was changed. How it came about no one knew, but before the Englishmen realized it they were fighting for dear life a body of desperadoes of the fiercest type. Those on board the Japanese boat were soon overwhelmed. Taken unawares they had no time to use their arms and were either cut down at once or driven overboard.
On the Tiger, owing to the unfamiliarity of the Japanese with the ship, the surprise was less decisive, but the position was, nevertheless, critical in the extreme. One of the first victims was poor Davis, who was attacked by the ruffians as he was emerging from the gun room. He was slashed and hacked at with knives and swords and was then thrust out on to the waist of the ship, where in a short time he bled to death. Meanwhile, the Tiger's crew, brought to a vivid realization of their peril, had rallied
