He 's paid the piper . '' After that the voices fell again into the same muttering as before . Only now , one person spoke most of the time , as though laying down a plan , and first one and then another answered him briefly , like men taking orders . By this , I made sure they were coming on again , and told Alan . `` It 's what we have to pray for , '' said he . `` Unless we can give them a good distaste of us , and done with it , there 'll be nae sleep for either you or me . But this time , mind , they 'll be in earnest . '' By this , my pistols were ready , and there was nothing to do but listen and wait . While the brush lasted , I had not the time to think if I was frighted ; but now , when all was still again , my mind ran upon nothing else . The thought of the sharp swords and the cold steel was strong in me ; and presently , when I began to hear stealthy steps and a brushing of men 's clothes against the round-house wall , and knew they were taking their places in the dark , I could have found it in my mind to cry out aloud . All this was upon Alan 's side ; and I had begun to think my share of the fight was at an end , when I heard some one drop softly on the roof above me . 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 .
XXXXX was dirking him with his left hand , but the fellow clung like a leech .
Alan feet first mind piper round-house sea-pipe second sleep voices