although the position taken up by the serampore was somewhat sheltered from the force of the monsoon by a projecting point of land, still there was a heavy swell in the little bight or bay where she was, which broke upon the rocky and barren shores around her with an incessant roar and clouds of spray. the swell lifted her stern again and again, causing her to strike heavily as each succeeding wave swept under her. at last with a final heavy bumping crash which carried away her after spars, she settled down upon the rocks, which were afterwards found to be the end of a reef stretching out from the land, partially visible above water at certain times of the tide.

the sudden and untimely death of captain skeed spread a feeling of consternation and horror through the ship, and aggravated the anxiety which the passengers felt at their situation.

mr. urquhart, of course, had to take the direction of affairs, and when he met the passengers at dinner he had a difficult task before him.

the ship appeared to be now fixed firmly upon the rocks at her stern, and her anchor kept her from moving in any direction. the water could be heard rushing in through the damaged plates at the stern, and in order to prevent her sinking altogether when the water filled her forward, mr. urquhart caused the after part of the ship to be blocked up with an old sail against the leaky places, and spare iron plates and boards wedged against it to keep the water back.

mr. urquhart had not been in the saloon a minute before he was assailed with questions.

"can you tell us whereabouts we are, mr. urquhart? what part of the coast are we upon?" asked professor spiller.

"the ship is about one hundred and fifty miles south of the kuria-muria islands in one direction, and between four and five hundred in the other from aden."

"what in the name of heaven did the captain anchor here for?" asked captain shaw.

"his idea was, that lying here in smoother water, he might be able to remove the ironwork of the paddle-wheels, which would render the ship unmanageable under canvas, and then he intended, i believe, either to sail her back to bombay, or to wait until the monsoon broke, and try to reach aden."

"poor fellow, poor captain skeed, i'm sure he would have done the best thing possible," exclaimed mrs. woodruff.

"no doubt he was a good officer," said the professor. "but what's to be done now?"

"of course," said mr. urquhart, "that plan is knocked on the head now. the ship is, to all intents and purposes, a wreck."

"what chance is there of our being seen and picked up?" asked the professor.

"not a very encouraging one, i am afraid; there is no regular trade along this coast," replied mr. urquhart.

"but vessels pass this way occasionally, don't they?" said captain shaw.

"sometimes country vessels, as they are called—ships that go trading about to all sorts of coast ports, in the employ of native merchants—may pass this way, bound to or from the persian gulf, but i can't say i know anything at all about them."

"and how about the natives?" said the professor; "are they likely to be friendly or hostile to us, do you suppose?"

"there, again, i am sorry i can give you no information; but i shall make it my business to see that we are prepared to give them as warm a reception as we can, should they attempt to molest us."

"and what is your idea that we should do eventually?" asked captain thompson.

"i'm afraid that we can do nothing at all at present. fortunately we have plenty of provisions and water to last for a considerable time, and all the boats are in good condition, if the weather would permit us to make use of them. we can only prepare ourselves to resist any attack that the natives, should they be hostile, may make upon us, and keep a good look-out for any vessel that may be passing. if any of you, gentlemen, can suggest anything, else, i shall be quite pleased to adopt it."

the next day captain skeed's body was taken on shore to be buried. mr. urquhart had caused a grave to be dug in the sand, near a remarkable mass of rock about some five hundred yards from the beach. several of the passengers, and all the ship's company, attended the funeral, all the ship's boats being lowered when the time came; and after the funeral service had been read by the purser, a heap of stones of all sizes, collected by the crew, was piled upon the grave.

i cast my eyes around me as i watched this melancholy performance, but i could see nothing in the distance in the shape of a living creature. it was all a trackless waste of sand and rocks.

after we returned on board, mr. urquhart sent for the chief engineer, and told him to bring mr. williams, the second engineer, on the quarter-deck. when he appeared, mr. urquhart said—

"it was captain skeed's intention to have disrated you from your position as second engineer, in consequence of your gross neglect in omitting to see the ship's bunkers properly filled with coal, and for your insubordinate conduct to the chief engineer."

"it was just as much mr. stewart's business to see to the coaling as mine," replied williams.

"silence if you please, sir. under the present circumstances i do not propose to carry out the intention of the late captain; but i must tell you that entries relating to your conduct have been made in the official log-book of this ship, and that any further steps in the matter will be left to the decision of the managing directors of the company when we are able to get away from this place. i hope, if you have an opportunity, you will endeavour to redeem your past misconduct, which has entailed such terrible consequences upon the serampore, and everybody on board of her."

mr. williams made no reply, but turned and went below. after he had gone, mr. stewart remarked—

"he's nae such a bad chiel, i'm thinking, at bottom, but he was mad because he didna get the berth himsel'."

after these occurrences the days began to pass by with a dreary monotony. every morning when i got up, it was with the expectation that something or other would happen soon, and every night when i turned in, it was with the same uneasy feeling of anticipation or dread hanging about me. mr. urquhart ordered the watches to be kept regularly, as if we were at sea, and during the day a look-out man was kept at the mast-head to watch for a passing sail. the mizzen-mast, with most of its gear, and the main-top mast had been carried away by the successive shocks of the ship bumping on the rocks, but everything stood forward.

the second officer was ordered to get up and examine what quantity of powder and ammunition there was in the ship. we had a stand containing a dozen muskets and also a few cutlasses, together with a dozen boarding-pikes. these were all the small-arms belonging to the ship, and there were two nine-pounder guns for signalling purposes mounted on the quarter-deck.

"don't you think," said i, "'twould be a good plan to have some cartridges made, in case of anything happening?"

"happy thought, hardy," said sinclair. "we'll get the powder up on the saloon table, and perhaps the ladies will help us. hold on a bit, how about the bullets?"

"ah, lucky thing you thought of that. we must get old stewart to put his men on to cast some for us, if we can find any lead."

i ran off immediately to hunt up the carpenter, who fortunately found a big roll of lead in the bottom of his storeroom, which was soon in the course of being transformed into bullets by some of the firemen.

i remembered also that a couple of kegs of powder for our agent at aden had been shipped with the cargo, and these were soon got out and the contents utilised for large and small cartridges. after all this had been done, time hung heavy on our hands. nobody seemed to be in good spirits enough to start any amusement, and a week of the most depressing inaction passed away. all this time not the vestige of a native had been seen anywhere in the vicinity of the ship.

the military men on board seemed to feel the situation almost unbearable.

"i'll tell you what it is," said rivers, the subaltern of colonel woodruff's corps, to the other military passengers one morning, "i can't stand this sort of thing any longer. let's make up a party and try and ascend that mountain there."

"i don't mind," said captain thompson.

"we might find something to shoot," said captain shaw. "we've all got our rifles with us, haven't we?"

"yes," said thompson; "or we might get shot at instead of shooting something."

"what are you talking of doing?" asked the professor, coming up at this moment.

"oh! we're thinking of doing a kind of picnic up the mountain yonder. will you join us, professor? you might be able to enrich science with specimens of the flora and fauna of this howling wilderness," said rivers.

"i doubt if there's any great surprise for science hidden about here; but i shall be very pleased to join the party. when is it to be?" said the professor.

"oh! shall we start to-morrow?"

"yes, let it be to-morrow. what do you say, thompson?" said shaw.

"agreed!" cried the rest.

"very well, then," said rivers. "you fellows get your rifles all ready, and revolvers if you've got any, and i'll go and interview the purser for a hamper of prog. and look here, thompson, just ask urquhart to let young hardy come with us, and half-a-dozen lascars."

"to carry the game, eh, rivers?"

"just so; we may find them useful."

"don't you want some of the ladies to go too?" asked shaw.

"i've no objection, i'm sure," said thompson.

"i think you'd better leave the women out of it," said captain staveley; "i shouldn't like to have the responsibility on my mind if anything did happen, you know, and i fancy we're going to make rather a leap in the dark."

"all right," rejoined rivers. "then we'll start at daylight to-morrow. what do you say, you chaps?"

everybody agreed to this proposal; and i shortly had a message telling me that the chief wanted me.

"there's a sporting party going out to-morrow, hardy. you take six hands with you, armed with cutlasses, and go with the party. you must use your own discretion and act according to circumstances."

next morning we all set off at the appointed hour, having been landed on some rocks at a little distance from the ship. the lascars appeared to enjoy the chance of stretching their legs, and followed in the steps of the party led by mr. rivers, chattering like schoolboys out for a holiday.

"we'll make for that spur that sticks out seawards half-way up the mountain," said rivers. "i've got a compass on my watch-chain, and it bears just a little to the west of south from us, so we shall know the opposite bearing will take us back to the ship."

"that's a very sensible precaution of yours," said the professor. "how many miles do you reckon we are from the foot of the mountain?"

"five or six miles," was the reply.

"come on then, step out; we shall have the sun directly, and climbing will be no joke then," said shaw.

so we all trudged along at a round pace. i had taken the precaution to bring a revolver with me that mr. urquhart lent me, and a fowling-piece and a pocketful of cartridges of my own.

after we had tramped along for about an hour over the sandy plain, and lost sight of the ship, which was hidden by projecting rocks, we reached the foot of the mountain, and found a sort of track which led us into a narrow gorge overhung by rocks on each side. we penetrated through this for about a quarter of a mile. at the end of it there were two tracks visible, one leading up the side of the mountain, and the other, branching to the left, seemed to lead to habitations of some kind, for the road was a beaten track, and the professor declared that he could see smoke in the air at a distance.

"here's a parting of the ways," said rivers. "shall we start to ascend the mountain? shall we follow the road, which may lead us to some habitations? or shall we sit down and have our tiffin?"

rivers' proposals being put to the vote, that for tiffin was carried unanimously; so finding the softest stones for seats, we very soon disposed of the provender in our hamper, the lascars refreshing themselves in their own fashion.

"now, i think," said rivers, "as we haven't met with anything of interest during our walk, we'd better go and see if there really is a village there, and what it's like."

"uttering a wild yell, rushed off towards the nearest hut."

accordingly we set off upon the track leading to the left, and after a quarter of an hour's walk, turning an abrupt corner formed by a huge boulder, we came upon a number of huts clustered together. there were some palm-trees growing in the midst. no doubt this was one of the oases that are said to be dotted about the country. we had not made many more steps in the direction of the village, when a wild-looking figure, half naked, his long reddish-coloured hair standing upright on his head, darted out from behind a boulder ahead of us, and uttering a wild yell, rushed off towards the nearest hut.

"gentlemen, let me advise all of you to look to your arms, and see they are ready for use," said rivers, "for we shall soon know now whether we have fallen amongst friends or foes."

we all halted for a moment and examined our rifles and guns, and i called to the lascars to keep close to us and be prepared to use their cutlasses at a moment's notice. a few more steps brought us amongst the huts of the village, from which men, women, and children stared at us with looks of wonder. the fellow who had first descried us still ran on ahead, and we followed him until we were in the centre of what appeared to be a considerably large settlement. he had never ceased uttering his hideous yell as he went along, and on entering an open square, which had a hut bigger than the rest on one side of it, probably the abode of the chief, a crowd of at least fifty natives, similar in appearance to the one we had first seen, but all armed with spears and matchlocks of a very ancient construction, leapt as it were from the ground, and stood in a compact body before us in front of the large hut.

as we neared them some handled their spears and some their matchlocks, and i thought that the critical moment had come when we should have to fight for our lives.

"halt," said rivers to our party. "form double line," and the twelve of us drew ourselves up.

"now, professor, you speak arabic, don't you? try them with a little soft sawder first, will you. we don't want to fight unless we're obliged. there isn't much to be gained by it."

the professor immediately stepped three paces in front, and calling out, "salaam, aleikum," addressed a sentence in arabic to the group.

the only answer to this was a wild yell and a chatter of gibberish.

"what was it you said?" asked rivers.

"we are friends, and want to see the chief," answered the professor. "but i can't understand a word of their talk. i fancy these people of the seger region have a distinct dialect of their own."

"try 'em in english," said thompson. "where's your chief, you silly beggars, you?"

the only response to this was another wild yell and another shower of gibberish, accompanied by a flourish of the spears.

at this instant a noise was heard from the hut in the rear of the rows of natives drawn up in front, and the line opened in the middle, when a tall grey-bearded arab, with a long camel-hair burnoose over his shoulders, and a polished wooden spear in his hand, stepped forward a few paces.

the professor immediately addressed him with the ordinary eastern salutation, of which the chief took but little notice, making a remark which the professor understood to mean that our presence was not welcome. unwilling to leave matters in this unsatisfactory position, the professor harangued the chief in arabic, uttering the most friendly sentiments, and expressing a desire to purchase dates or any commodities that his highness the sheik might have to dispose of.

i was unable to gather whether the sheik understood this speech or no. i am disposed to think that he did; but the only answer he vouchsafed to it was to extend his spear in the direction whence we had come, and to utter three words in such an unmistakable tone of wrath and contempt that we all understood it to mean, as the professor afterwards said it did, "infidel dogs, begone!"

after this there was nothing for it but to retreat in as good order as possible. rivers gave the word to march, telling us to look behind us at every other step. before we had taken three steps the sheik uttered a loud command, and the natives vanished from the square in the same rapid manner in which they had presented themselves.

as we passed by their huts we were greeted with shrill cries of derision by the women and children standing in the entrances.

from a hasty glance i threw at them the women appeared not by any means bad-looking, but very similar in character to those you may see in the native town at aden, light copper colour, with a profusion of dark hair and large dark eyes.

as we entered the narrow defile or gorge by which we had reached the village, rivers, who was bringing up the rear, called out to us, "look out now, and be steady. if they're going to molest us it will be here."

the words were scarcely out of his mouth when the hideous yells, now familiar to us, arose on either side.

"halt!" said rivers. "form two lines back to back facing the sides of the gorge. make ready, they'll be on us in a minute," and as he spoke, about fifty of them on each side dashed towards us. when they were within five yards of us, rivers gave the word to fire, and down went four or five of the leading savages on each side. this gave them a momentary check, and rivers instantly called out, "give 'em your second barrels, sharp."

this we did promptly, and the natives stopped and seemed as if about to fly, for our volley had done great execution.

"now, then," said rivers, "run for it before they recover themselves, but keep together."

as we started to run the natives hurled a shower of spears at us. one grazed rivers' arm, making the blood come; another pierced the lascar by my side to the heart, and the poor fellow fell dead; another went through the professor's solar topee, causing him to utter exclamations of rage and despair. but we pushed on as hard as we could go for the ship. the natives, we could see, hung behind us in a cloud, their numbers appearing to have been considerably augmented; they, however, took care to keep out of the range of our guns.

in an hour's time we regained the deck of the serampore, the natives still following in the distance.

i rushed up to mr. urquhart, and in a few words explained to him what had occurred, whereupon he instantly ordered all hands to be called, and got our two nine-pounders aft loaded, and pointed towards the shore opposite the stern of the ship. the ladies behaved with wonderful coolness and courage when they heard that an attack might be expected from the natives, and offered their services as nurses or in any other way in which they might be useful.

in the meantime a great crowd of natives were assembling on the shore opposite the ship, at which their leaders were pointing and uttering wild cries of defiance. their only means of approach was either by swimming, or by the irregular causeway that the rocks of the reef provided, and that would not admit of a large number walking abreast. after a brief pause, however, they made a forward movement, and with loud cries dashed, some through the water and some on the reef, with the evident idea of boarding the ship. those who had matchlocks fired them off at us, but without doing any damage. every man in the ship for whom there was a musket, or who possessed a rifle or gun of any description, was employed under the second officer in picking off the men on the reef or those in the water. but as fast as they dropped off the rocks they were replaced by others, and the numbers on shore seemed to be augmented from time to time by men coming in various directions from one knew not where.

"mr. urquhart tried the effect of the nine-pounders."

after a time mr. urquhart tried the effect of the nine-pounders, which did great execution amongst the crowd; but he was obliged to be very careful, on account of the limited number of shot he had, and the not very large supply of powder. the shot we supplemented with small canvas bags of old nails and iron bolts, which made a very good substitute for grape-shot. the fight lasted under these conditions till sunset, not one of the natives having got nearer the ship than to touch her on the outside. the attack then ceased for a time, and we had leisure to refresh ourselves.

when i took my watch i could hear the sound of the multitude on shore, who would no doubt recommence the attack in the morning. the night was calm and still, for the monsoon had broken, and now only blew at intervals in moderate breezes.

i had an opportunity of exchanging a few words with miss reed when she came up on deck for a few moments.

"i hope you are not hurt, mr. hardy," she said.

"not at all," said i. "i trust you'll keep your spirits up. i've no doubt we shall settle these fellows in the morning."

"i hope you will; and oh how i pray for a ship to come and take us away from this terrible spot!"

"perhaps we shall see one sooner than you expect; but keep your courage up, dear miss reed, all will be well."

at early daylight, as the enemy was all massed together, mr. urquhart loaded both the nine-pounders to the muzzle with his own particular grape, and pointing them carefully into the midst of the crowd, where the leaders were to be seen, discharged both simultaneously with terrible effect, many natives being killed.

at this moment the look-out at the mast-head shouted out at the top of his voice, "sail o! a ship in sight near the land."

"take one of the cutters, mr. hardy, and pull out to that vessel. take a flag with you to wave in the boat. tell them our condition, and beg them to assist us and take the people off the ship."

with what eager delight and anxiety i proceeded to obey this order the reader can well imagine. as the weather was fine, and nearly calm, i succeeded, after a long pull, in getting alongside the vessel. she proved to be a "country" trader on a voyage from bombay to zanzibar, whence she was now on her way to bassora. she was called the cowasjee family, and commanded by a smart young officer named wilkinson, who willingly proffered every assistance that might be required. he brought his ship in as close to the serampore as he could, and the natives having been demoralised by our fire, we proceeded to embark the passengers and crew of the serampore on board his ship. he told us that it was quite a chance he was in that locality, but he had been set out of his course by a strong current. every effort that captain wilkinson could make for the comfort of our passengers and crew was made, and in due time we all safely landed at bassora. luckily a steamer was starting the next day for kurrachee and bombay, in which we all took passage, and where we safely ended our eventful voyage.

it may be of interest to some of my readers to know that since i got my command miss reed has changed her name for mine, and that we are very happy.

there was a court of inquiry held at bombay to ascertain the cause of the loss of the serampore, and the finding of the court was that captain skeed and his officers were exonerated from all blame, the ship having been lost "by default of the engineer."