And presently I saw I had made another slip.  The noise of the thing began to die off, shaking the island; the dazzle was over; and yet the night didn’t come back the way I expected.  For the whole wood was scattered with red coals and brands from the explosion; they were all round me on the flat; some had fallen below in the valley, and some stuck and flared in the tree-tops.  I had no fear of fire, for these forests are too wet to kindle.  But the trouble was that the place was all lit up-not very bright, but good enough to get a shot by; and the way the coals were scattered, it was just as likely Case might have the advantage as myself.  I looked all round for his white face, you may be sure; but there was not a sign of him.  As for Uma, the life seemed to have been knocked right out of her by the bang and blaze of it.

There was one bad point in my game.  One of the blessed graven images had come down all afire, hair and clothes and body, not four yards away from me.  I cast a mighty noticing glance all round; there was still no Case, and I made up my mind I must get rid of that burning stick before he came, or I should be shot there like a dog.

It was my first idea to have crawled, and then I thought speed was the main thing, and stood half up to make a rush.  The same moment from somewhere between me and the sea there came a flash and a report, and a rifle bullet screeched in my ear.  I swung straight round and up with my gun, but the brute had a Winchester, and before I could as much as see him his second shot knocked me over like a nine-pin.  I seemed to fly in the air, then came down by the run and lay half a minute, silly; and then I found my hands empty, and my gun had flown over my head as I fell.  It makes a man mighty wide awake to be in the kind of box that I was in.  I scarcely knew where I was hurt, or whether I was hurt or not, but turned right over on my face to crawl after my weapon.  Unless you have tried to get about with a smashed leg you don’t know what pain is, and I let out a howl like a bullock’s.

This was the unluckiest noise that ever I made in my life.  Up to then Uma had stuck to her tree like a sensible woman, knowing she would be only in the way; but as soon as she heard me sing out, she ran forward.  The Winchester cracked again, and down she went.

I had sat up, leg and all, to stop her; but when I saw her tumble I clapped down again where I was, lay still, and felt the handle of my knife.  I had been scurried and put out before.  No more of that for me.  He had knocked over my girl, I had got to fix him for it; and I lay there and gritted my teeth, and footed up the chances.  My leg was broke, my gun was gone.  Case had still ten shots in his Winchester.  It looked a kind of hopeless business.  But I never despaired nor thought upon despairing:  that man had got to go.