Then there came a single call on the sea-pipe , and that was the signal . A knot of them made one rush of it , cutlass in hand , against the door ; and at the same moment , the glass of the skylight was dashed in a thousand pieces , and a man leaped through and landed on the floor . Before he got his feet , I had clapped a pistol to his back , and might have shot him , too ; only at the touch of him -LRB- and him alive -RRB- my whole flesh misgave me , and I could no more pull the trigger than I could have flown . He had dropped his cutlass as he jumped , and when he felt the pistol , whipped straight round and laid hold of me , roaring out an oath ; and at that either my courage came again , or I grew so much afraid as came to the same thing ; for I gave a shriek and shot him in the midst of the body . He gave the most horrible , ugly groan and fell to the floor . The foot of a second fellow , whose legs were dangling through the skylight , struck me at the same time upon the head ; and at that I snatched another pistol and shot this one through the thigh , so that he slipped through and tumbled in a lump on his companion 's body . There was no talk of missing , any more than there was time to aim ; I clapped the muzzle to the very place and fired . I might have stood and stared at them for long , but I heard Alan shout as if for help , and that brought me to my senses . He had kept the door so long ; but one of the seamen , while he was engaged with others , had run in under his guard and caught him about the body . Alan was dirking him with his left hand , but the fellow clung like a leech . Another had broken in and had his cutlass raised . The door was thronged with their faces . I thought we were lost , and catching up my cutlass , fell on them in flank . But I had not time to be of help . The wrestler dropped at last ; and Alan , leaping back to get his distance , ran upon the others like a bull , roaring as he went . They broke before him like water , turning , and running , and falling one against another in their haste . The sword in his hands flashed like quicksilver into the huddle of our fleeing enemies ; and at every flash there came the scream of a man hurt . I was still thinking we were lost , when lo ! they were all gone , and Alan was driving them along the deck as a sheep-dog chases sheep . Yet he was no sooner out than he was back again , being as cautious as he was brave ; and meanwhile the seamen continued running and crying out as if he was still behind them ; and we heard them tumble one upon another into the forecastle , and clap-to the hatch upon the top .
The round-house was like a shambles ; three were dead inside , another lay in his death agony across the threshold ; and there were XXXXX and I victorious and unhurt .
Alan cutlass flesh forecastle leech left sea-pipe second sheep wrestler