Instantly young Benson wheeled, to strike at another pressing foe.  Instead, he received a glancing though painful blow on his own left shoulder.  Ere the assailant could recover, however, Benson leaped at him and would have felled him had not Millard himself leaped in, striking up the young naval officer’s arm.

Once more Lieutenant Jack leaped back.  His whole body was alert, nerves and muscles responding magnificently.  He fairly vibrated defense.

“Close in on him, men—­surround him!” snarled Millard.  “You’ve got to get him!  We haven’t many minutes left.  We don’t know at what instant to look for interference.”

Jack landed effectively on another of the rascals.  Just as he was wheeling, however, to ward off the attack of another, a stick landed against his left knee, partly crippling him.

In moving backward Benson almost stumbled over a stone half the size of his head.

Right there, in the same movement with which he thrust the revolver into one of his pockets, he bent down, snatched up the heavy stone, and held it poised over his head.

“Now, come on!  Now, close in!” cried Jack Benson, exulting.  “The first man who gets too close has his head split open!  Who wants it?”

His usually, good-humored face was transformed by the fiery rage of battle.

Surely there was some of the old Norseman streak left in Jack Benson’s make-up.

As he stood there, keenly alert, ready to heave the rock, he looked like a young Thor armed with massive stone hammer.

“Spread!  Get in back of him!” yelled Millard, hoarsely.  “I’ll take the position of attack in front.  Down him!”

“Guess which way I’m going to heave this stone!” cried Jack, tauntingly, as he half wheeled, so as to watch those trying to steal a march in his rear.

“Bosh!  You can soon stop that, men!” jeered Millard, suddenly.  “Fall back and get a fistful of stones.  Rain them in on the youngster at a safe distance.  One of you will soon hit him and send him down!”

Young Benson gasped inwardly with dismay, though his face did not blanch.  Millard’s followers drew back to obey.

Yes!  These fellows could throw small stones from a much greater distance than the young lieutenant could hurl the large one.  They had but to keep up this fire for a few seconds when one of them was certain to hit him in the head, putting him out of the fight.

Jack Benson dropped the big stone, though he stood over it.  Like a flash his revolver came out again.  Aiming at Millard, the young naval officer made frantic efforts to make the cylinder revolve.  But the weapon proved to be hopelessly jammed.

“Now, keep on volleying the youngster with until you have him down and wholly out!” yelled Millard, hoarsely.

The air seemed filled with stones.  Jack hopped about as nimbly as possible, dodging all he could.  Yet one part of his body after another was hit.