All of a sudden the piping voice of our third mate rose in a laugh, while he cried, “He’s gone to heaven.”

It was as though something gave away within me, and before I fairly knew what I was doing, I was rushing upon Andrews to close.

I remember seeing a bright flash and feeling a heavy blow on my left side.  Then I found myself in the scuppers looking up at a struggle upon the Sovereign’s quarter-deck.

At the signal of my rush for Andrews, Jim, who was somewhat expert at tackling persons, dashed at him also from starboard.  Chips instantly followed on the other side, and then, our men seeing how things were to go, closed from the rear.  All six of us would have met at Andrews as a converging point, had it not been for the scoundrel’s pistol.

His first shot struck me fairly under the heart.  It knocked me over, and I rolled to port, deathly sick.  Thinking for a moment I was killed, I made no immediate effort to recover myself, but lay vomiting and clutching my side.  Then in a moment the weakness began to leave me, and I was aware that I was clutching the heavy knife I carried in my breast pocket.  I drew it forth, and as I did so, something fell to the deck at my side, and I saw it was a piece of lead.  Then I saw that Andrews’s bullet had jammed itself into the joint of the hilt, smashing flat on the steel and breaking up, part of it falling away as I drew it forth.  The knife had saved my life; for the shot had been true, and would have been instantly fatal had it penetrated.

I started to my feet and saw Jim lying motionless just outside the swaying crowd, which had now closed about the murderer.  At that instant Andrews fired again, and Hans, who had tried to use his knife, staggered out of the group and fell dead.  Three of the Sovereign’s own men who had intended going back with us were now in the fracas also, and as I started in two more joined.

I saw Phillippi’s knife flash for an instant.  Then came a fierce oath from Andrews, followed by a snort of rage and pain.  Another shot followed instantly, and Phillippi was lying outside the swaying figures with a bloody hole through his forehead.

The only thing I remember as I forced my way into the group and struck at the scoundrel was that he had one more shot, and I wondered if he would land it before we had him.

He warded off my knife-stroke by a desperate wrench, but the blade ripped his right arm to the bone from shoulder to elbow, laming it absolutely.  Even as it was, he lowered his weapon and fired it instantly as it was seized.  An Englishman named Williams was struck through the body and lived but a moment afterward.  Chips now had the weapon by the barrel, and just as I was about to drive my knife into the murderer over the shoulder of Johnson, a heavy hand seized my collar and I was dragged back.  Wrenching myself around, I found that I was engaging the tall sailor, Daniels, and as I did so, Journegan, England, Dalton, Jenks, and our third officer fell upon the crowd which had borne Andrews to the deck.