e to translate my orders to
them, or rather to their officers. Sir Sidney is of opinion that there
will be a great deal more for you to do on shore than on board. He will,
of course, be much on shore himself, and I am carrying a note to the
pasha, requesting him to assign a suitable house for him to take up his
abode there and which he will make his headquarters. Lieutenant Beatty
will be posted there with twenty marines, furnishing a guard, and for
other purposes. A room is to be assigned to you. You will then be handy
whenever the captain is on shore, and at other times will assist me or
other officers with working parties. Of course two or three natives will
be engaged as servants. One of them will be a cook, and Lieutenant
Beatty and you will establish a small mess together. You will, of
course, have shore allowances. I think that you may consider yourself
fortunate, for you will have an opportunity for seeing all that goes on,
while the others will of course only come ashore by turns."

"Thank you, sir," Edgar said, much pleased. "I shall like it very much."

The Turkish soldiers worked well, tugging at ropes, while the sailors
used levers to get the guns up steep places. Edgar was kept busy
translating the first lieutenant's orders to the Turkish officers, and
for the first three days had hardly time to snatch a meal until the
sailors returned at nightfall to the ship. He got on very well with the
lieutenant of the marines, who was a pleasant young fellow. On the day
after they landed they heard heavy firing, and going up to the highest
point of the rocky promontory on which Acre stood, could make out that a
number of gun-boats were cannonading Caiffa. The place appeared to make
no reply to the fire, and at last two gun-boats, believing that there
could be but few French troops there, sailed up the harbour.

Lambert, the French officer in command, had, however, a howitzer and a
small gun, and eighty French troops, but he gave orders that these
should not reply to the fire of the gun-boats, and that not a musket
should be discharged until he gave the word. The two small gun-boats
came on confidently, until, when at a distance of only a hundred yards
from the shore, where they intended to land and set fire to the French
storehouses and to do as much damage as possible, a heavy fire was
suddenly poured in. The two guns, loaded to the muzzle with grape, swept
their decks, and the heavy volley of musketry did much dam