ee the enemy?"

"Nay, sir; we shall manage that, and when the shells busts, sir, they'll
light it up a bit; but what I meant was, sir, to start a pretty good
fire just at a fair distance in front of the window, sir, just handy for
some of us to make up good big charges of powder tied up in the sleeves
of our shirts, sir, handy and light ready to heave into the hot parts
where the fire's burning. They're pretty tough, them slavers, but a few
of them charges set off among 'em would be more than they'd care to
face. We've got plenty o' powder, sir, to keep it on till to-morrow; so
what do you say?"

"I say, certainly, Tom," replied Murray; "and on thinking again of what
we had first planned, I say that we will lay a train from the door under
this window to a mine consisting of one of the barrels just hidden."

"And me fire it, sir?" cried the big sailor eagerly.

"No; I shall do that myself," said Murray firmly.

"All right, sir; you're orficer," said the big sailor, rather sulkily,
"and a sailor's dooty's to obey orders; but I did think, sir, as a
orficer in command was to give orders and let them as was under him do
the work. I don't mean no offence, Mr Murray, sir, but I thought you
was in command now that the first luff was down in orspittle, or as we
say, in sick bay."

"Well, we'll see, Tom," said Murray. "I don't want to disappoint you,
my lad. What we've got to make sure of is that the mine is fired."

"Ay, ay, sir; but you might trust me, sir."

"I do trust you, Tom," replied Murray. "There, let's have the powder up
and take the head out of another keg."

"Ay, ay, sir. Give the word, sir, and we'll soon do that."

"Off with you," cried Murray; and while the men were gone below, he
carefully arranged the so-called shells that had been prepared, so that
they were handy for hurling from the window, and once more examined the
quick match that had been formed of strips of linen and moistened
powder--a fuse that could be depended upon to keep burning when once set
alight.

He had hardly satisfied himself as to the arrangement of the terrible
weapons that had been prepared, before a sound that floated through the
open window drew him close up, and he had hardly stood there in doubt a
couple of minutes before his doubt was dispelled, for plainly enough,
and apparently from the other side of the island, came the report of a
heavy gun, which was answered by another report, evidently from a gun of
differe