"Now, lads," said I, "you see those hundreds of dancing savages.  I want you to plant your rockets in such a manner that they will rake through the whole crowd; and if they should finish up by setting fire to the huts, so much the better.  Fire the rockets, one after another, as rapidly as possible, and the moment that the last rocket has been fired we will spring out into the open and make a dash for those posts, to which I believe we shall find the missing men secured.  Use your cutlasses as freely as may be needful, but reserve your pistols for an emergency.  Then, having cut our men loose, we must all retire in a body to the boat, and get out of the creek as quickly as possible.  Now, are you all ready?  Then begin to fire the rockets."