302 CRUISING AFTER HRATES. 



two to my bag, and felt well satisfied with my fore- 

 noon's sport and walk as I reached the beach. Almost 

 as I stepped on the clear sand, a bullet whizzed past 

 my head, and went with a thud into the bank a few 

 feet off. The report had hardly done reverberating 

 amongst the hills, before my telescope picked out the 

 enemy, some 300 yards off on a grassy mound, and not 

 a little to my astonishment, the enemy was one of my 

 own marines. It appeared that during my absence a 

 small pirate craft had turned up amongst the bushes 

 which line the creek, and that I was taken for one of 

 the crew by those who were hunting them up. During 

 the night the quartermaster on watch believed he 

 heard the tiger. I slept, however, too soundly after my 

 week's work to be easily disturbed, and I don't know 

 whether the man was dreaming or not. I have no 

 doubt, if I had time, I might have got him, by watching 

 at night with a calf or pig for a bait; as it was, I 

 returned next day to Hong-Kong to find another 

 piratical report waiting for me. 



