For a little while Smith was perplexed as to what he could do to help them.  The necessity of keeping the aeroplane in motion did not permit either Rodier or himself to use his revolver effectively.  Without doubt the Malays would be scared off if they fully realized his presence, for they could scarcely have seen an aeroplane before, and it must be to them a very terrifying object.  But a Malay, when drunken with hemp and his own ferocity, is as little subject to impressions of his surroundings as an infuriated bull.  The men left in the praus were gazing up in terror at the humming aeroplane; but even during the few seconds of Smith’s hesitation the others gained the deck of the junk forward of the mast, and with fierce yells and sweeping strokes of their krises began to drive the Chinamen towards the poop.  In a few minutes the whole crew would be butchered and thrown to the sharks.

Suddenly an idea occurred to Smith.  He planed upwards till the aeroplane reached a height of about a hundred feet above the vessel, calling to Rodier to bombard the boarders with the full bottles of soda-water which they had with them.  The Frenchman chuckled as he seized the notion.  Smith kept the aeroplane wheeling in a narrow circle over the scene of combat, and when it was vertically above the deck Rodier flung down several bottles one after another among the Malays.  The effect was instantaneous.  These novel missiles flung from so great a height, acted like miniature bombshells, exploding with a loud report as they touched the deck, and flying into myriad fragments.  Not even the most rage-intoxicated Malay could withstand the shock.  The noise, the prickly splinters of glass, peppering their half-naked bodies like a charge of small shot, altered their blind fury to dismay and panic.  With screams of affright they rushed to the sides of the junk.  But the men left in the praus had already begun to paddle frantically away, heedless of the fate of their comrades.  These plunged overboard, and swam after the departing vessels, whose flight Rodier speeded with another bottle or two.  In less than a minute the junk was clear.

For some minutes Smith shepherded the praus toward the shore.  Every now and then he saw a swimmer disappear suddenly:  without doubt the sharks were gathering to claim their prey.  Then, feeling sure that the Malays were too much terrified to think of renewing their attack on the junk, he again set his face eastward towards the open sea.

CHAPTER XI

AUSTRALIAN HOSPITALITY

Darkness was falling when the airmen came in sight of the chain of small islands running from Java eastward almost to the Australian coast.  Knowing that these islands were very hilly, Smith rose to a great height, using his flashlight every now and then to guard against mishap.  If he had not known the nature of the islands he could almost have guessed it from the behaviour of the aeroplane, which now tended