there.
Never mind; let's show them we have good marksmen too."

He did as I suggested, and three of our guns were trained and shotted,
two being aimed by Sergeant Craig and Denny, whom Brace had made
corporal, during the past few days.

"Quickly as you can," I said, as shot after shot was fired from the roof
of the building.

It meant exposure for our men, but they did not heed it, and in ten
minutes the top of the building was crumbling about its occupants' ears,
while a couple of cleverly sent shell completed their discomfiture, and
they rapidly evacuated the place.

It was only a temporary success, but it relieved us for the time, and
enabled us to direct our attention to other dangers.

The rest of that day is one horrible scene of confusion to me, as we
worked on, burned by the sun, faint with the sickening smell of powder,
and many falling beneath the rushing hail of bullets poured into the
enclosure; but there was no sign of shrinking. The men had long before
cast off their jackets, and worked on in shirt and trousers, always
preserving their discipline, and trying their best to make their shot
tell.

Twice over I saw a figure on horseback appear directing the men--a
figure I could not mistake, and man after man tried to bring him down,
but he seemed to bear a charmed life. He was most prominent at an
attempt to storm the place when, mad with fury, a column rushed forward
bearing ladders and poles under one arm, whilst they waved their
gleaming swords with the other. But as soon as we were certain of their
approach, our light guns were slewed round, and such a condensed hail of
grape was sent into them that when close up they reeled, wavered, and
retreated again.

Then, without cessation, the firing was resumed from every sheltered
spot within range, and we waited for the night attack, one we were sure
would come; and as we waited, the sun went down, the darkness began to
approach rapidly, and there was not a man there, as he slowly ate his
scraps of food, and drank the water brought round by the ladies, who did
not feel that it would be our last night on earth.

I was leaning against the wheel of the nearest gun, eating mechanically,
and thinking that my father would be too late, for in the distance I
could see sepoys gathering and marching forward as if for another
assault, when a lady approached me with a cup and a vessel of water.

"Will you drink, sir?" she said faintly.

"Grace!" I exclaim