promise each
other for the future, not to fancy that any accident has happened to
those who are absent, unless we have very strong evidence of the same."

"Agreed! agreed!" the other two exclaimed. "Whatever anybody else may
tell us, we'll all believe that we shall meet again somewhere or other,
and be happy together."

It is extraordinary what an effect the notion the three midshipmen had
taken up had on them. If Adair was away, though perhaps on some
far-distant station, Jack frequently had to say that he did not know
where he was to be found, but he always added, "I am certain that we
shall meet again before long. What message shall I give him?" Murray
said much the same thing of Jack or Adair, and they said the same of
Murray. I cannot follow them through the various scenes of the war in
Syria. While Sir Charles Napier, to his great delight, was acting the
part of a general on shore, with some of his naval followers as his
aides-de-camp, they were employed on board their ship, which, with the
rest of the squadron, was engaged in sailing along the coast in
cooperating with the army, and in blowing up and capturing one fortress
after another of those which still held out for Mehemet Ali. Now and
then both bluejackets and marines landed, and, much to their
satisfaction, stormed the old pacha's strongholds, and literally
fulfilled Charley Napier's promise of pulling the stones about the ears
of his governors. On one occasion success did not attend the British
arms, but, as Paddy Adair observed, "It's an ill wind which blows no one
good," and he here had an opportunity which he had so long desired of
distinguishing himself. The fortress was a very strong one, with a high
thick-walled tower which looked fully capable of defying the battle and
the breeze for a thousand years. The ship stood in with the intention
of battering it down, but after firing away for an hour or more, little
impression was made, and it was resolved to endeavour to take it by
storm. Jack had to stay on board, greatly to his disgust, and he did
say that he considered himself a most ill-used officer. Adair and
Murray accompanied the body of seamen who, with the marines of the
squadron, and some mountaineers who had been taken on board along the
coast, were landed to form the storming-party. The ground between the
castle and the sea was laid out in gardens. Here a body of the enemy
was drawn up. The storming-party landed to the south o