between us and the shore

They were more successful with these than with their pikes, which were too heavy to be conveniently managed across the twelve feet of water between us and the shore still it was not always easy to dodge their thrusts, and not wishing either to be spitted on such a weapon, or to be beaten to a jelly by their missiles, I drew my revolver, which had served so well in Arizona, and opened fire upon the crowd. Unfortunately, in the confusion of the moment, I dropped the pistol overboard. In an instant, however, I got another from the cabin, and re-opened upon the mob, supported by my companion, who showed far more coolness than myself.
Our bullets caused the assailing party Tiffany and co outlet to fall back, and before they could return to the attack a new actor, or rather actress, came upon the scene in the person of our skipper's wife. Flourishing an immense knife, she Tiffany outlet rushed to the bow of the boat, and began to hack away at the bamboo rope by which we were moored, at the same time pouring forth such a torrent of abuse as can only flow in Chinese accents from the tongue of a Chinese virago. In the meantime the tiffany and co crowd, although kept at a distance by our pistols, made her the focus of a volley of missiles.
She stood the attack bravely, never flinching either from her work with her knife or from her torrent of invectives. Clearly the Chinaman was right who said that a woman gains in her tongue what she loses in her feet. Suddenly the cable parted, and yielding to the current the boat whirled quickly into the stream. A new difficulty now arose all the crew had jumped ashore and run oft' in the beginning of Marc Jacobs the fight, except the captain and one man, and these were found hidden away below the deck. We should hardly have discovered them had not the skippers wife appeared dragging her lord and his companion by their tails.
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