Old Fletcher, dragging himself up from the stokehold hatch, ran aft, seized a new box which someone held over the edge of the shield in front of the wheel, brought it for'ard, knelt down and opened it. The Sub ordered Plunky Bill to go aft. He staggered back under the protecting plates round the stern-sheets holding up his right arm with his left hand.
All this time the _Kennet's_ shells were bursting along the bank on the toll-house side, and these and the rifle-fire from the seamen in the stern-sheets kept the Turks fairly quiet in that direction. Then Jarvis shouted: "Here comes the _Kennet's_ whaler, sir. She's quite close. The _Kennet's_ making a signal."
Bostock, waving his flags, took it in. "Abandon steamboat--am sending in whaler for you." He shouted this to the Sub.
"I can't, I can't!" the Sub moaned. "Orphan, I can't do it! You look after those chaps; keep your eye on them. My aunt! your left boot's nearly torn off. Keep them from getting across to the island;" and he dashed aft just as the black whaler ran alongside.
A Royal Naval Reserve lieutenant was in charge of her, and called out: "You've got to abandon her. Take everything you can get into the whaler--and come back. It's been pretty warm work coming in here; they've been potting at us all the way."
"Why doesn't that motor-yacht come in? She could tow us off. What's the matter with her?" the Sub asked angrily.
"Her crew won't face it; they refused to come, and the engineer won't start the motors. He's disabled them in some way or other, and we can't make them work. Get your gear in here quickly."
The Sub raved and cursed. He couldn't make up his mind to abandon the boat.
There came a low, sobbing "Oh" from the stern-sheets, and the other Greek fell forward--the Bandit. A bullet had come in through a gap between two of the steel plates, and he had been shot through the body.
"It's the Captain's order," the _Kennet's_ officer cried impatiently. "You'd best hurry up; we can see any number of men coming along from the village. None of us will get away unless you 'get a move on.'"
Sullenly the Sub gave the order to abandon the picket-boat.
Plunky Bill crawled into the whaler; the two Greeks were lowered into her. Everything that could be taken was taken--the box of ball-cartridge, the compass box, the rifles and cutlasses, signal-book, even the first-aid bag.