als, a number of shells had been placed on the
platform of the tower, with fuses attached in readiness to hurl down
into the midst of a storming party, heaps of great stones had been piled
there for the same purpose, and the Turkish soldiers, seeing the
readiness and alacrity with which the British worked, had gained
confidence. The faint sound of mining under the tower brought about a
consultation between Sir Sidney Smith, Captain Wilmot, Colonel
Phelypeaux, and the pasha. The engineer officer pointed out to the pasha
that it was impossible to say what the result of the firing of the mine
might be, as it would depend upon the quantity of powder employed.

"If a large quantity is used," he said, "it may entirely blow down the
tower and a considerable quantity of the walls adjoining it, and leave
so large a breach that the French would be able to pour in in such force
that your troops, who might well be panic-stricken at the explosion,
would not be able to make any effective opposition."

"But what can we do to prevent it?" the pasha asked.

"Nothing can be directly done," Sir Sidney said; "but if we make a sally
in force we might drive the French back, discover the mine, and carry
out the greater part of the powder, and place a small portion under the
ditch, and, exploding it, allow the water to run in; or, if the men
carry with them a number of fascines, we might establish a work fifty
yards from the foot of the wall. This would put a stop to their mining.
An enemy attacking it would, as he advanced, be swept by the guns of the
two men-of-war and the gun-boats, and the garrison would further be
covered by the fire from the tower and walls. I propose that we should
sally out in three columns. The central column, which will be composed
of the marines and sailors of our ships, will make straight for the
mouth of the mine and force its way in; the other two columns will
attack the enemy's trenches on right and left."

"The plan seems to me to be a good one," the pasha said; "it shall be
done as you propose."

On the night of the 15th of April two columns of men were gathered at
midnight in the street leading to the water-gate, a short distance to
the right of the tower, the third column close to a gate some little
distance to its left. Lieutenant Beatty was, with his party of marines,
to join the landing force, but to their disappointment neither Condor
nor the midshipmen were to take part in the sortie, as the little