With an explosion of terrifying oaths Lighthouse Harry thrust a shell into the breech of the quick-firing gun.Without waiting to aim it, he tugged at the trigger.Nothing happened! He threw open the breech and gazed impotently at the base of the shell.It was untouched.The ship was ringing with cries of anger, of hate, with rat-like squeaks of fear.
Above the heads of the filibusters a shell screamed and within a hundred feet splashed into a wave.
From his mat in the lee scupper David groaned miserably.He was far removed from any of the greater emotions.
"It's no use!" he protested."They can't do! It's not connected!""WHAT'S not connected?" yelled Carr.He fell upon David.He half-lifted, half-dragged him to his feet.
"If you know what's wrong with that gun, you fix it! Fix it," he shouted, "or I'll--"David was not concerned with the vengeance Carr threatened.For, on the instant a miracle had taken place.With the swift insidiousness of morphine, peace ran through his veins, soothed his racked body, his jangled nerves.The Three Friends had made the harbor, and was gliding through water flat as a pond.But David did not know why the change had come.He knew only that his soul and body were at rest, that the sun was shining, that he had passed through the valley of the shadow, and once more was a sane, sound young man.
With a savage thrust of the shoulder he sent Lighthouse Harry sprawling from the gun.With swift, practised fingers he fell upon its mechanism.He wrenched it apart.He lifted it, reset, readjusted it.
Ignorant themselves, those about him saw that he understood, saw that his work was good.
They raised a joyous, defiant cheer.But a shower of bullets drove them to cover, bullets that ripped the deck, splintered the superstructure, smashed the glass in the air ports, like angry wasps sang in a continuous whining chorus.Intent only on the gun, David worked feverishly.He swung to the breech, locked it, and dragged it open, pulled on the trigger and found it gave before his forefinger.
He shouted with delight.
"I've got it working," he yelled.
He turned to his audience, but his audience had fled.From beneath one of the life-boats protruded the riding-boots of Colonel Beamish, the tall form of Lighthouse Harry was doubled behind a water butt.A shell splashed to port, a shell splashed to starboard.For an instant David stood staring wide-eyed at the greyhound of a boat that ate up the distance between them, at the jets of smoke and stabs of flame that sprang from her bow, at the figures crouched behind her gunwale, firing in volleys.