ks. Still the whole body, by no small exertion, foot by foot, worked
their upward way till they reached the summit. What was next going to
happen? The enemy, it was evident, had a due respect for British
courage, for they had fled from the ramparts and undoubtedly had taken
up a stronger position in the interior of the fortress. Perhaps they
had formed a mine ready to spring, and the idea that such might be the
case created a few very uncomfortable sensations in the breasts of some
of the assailants. To feel the ground shaking under the feet during an
earthquake is far from agreeable, but it is a mere pleasant excitement
compared to the feelings a person experiences, when he knows that at any
moment he may be lifted off his legs and blown up into the sky in
company with some dozen wagon-loads of stones and earth, and bricks and
mortar, and beams and rubbish of all descriptions. I do not know that
Jack allowed such an idea to trouble him much, and if Murray thought
about the matter it did not make him hang back at all events; for on he
and all the rest pushed to meet the enemy. Had they made any
calculations on the subject, they would have found that it is better to
move quickly across dangerous ground just as it is to skate rapidly over
thin ice. The shouts and cheers of the seamen, it appeared, had struck
terror into the hearts of the pirates, for they did not come forth from
their places of concealment. The storming-party passed by some low
huts, but no one was within, and then they came to an open space. Just
then, through the gloom, they caught sight of a band emerging from
behind some buildings opposite, and advancing boldly to defend the
place. They themselves, apparently being hidden by the dark shade of
the huts, were not seen. So, waiting a little, out they rushed,
clearing the open space at full speed to meet the pirates. Pistols were
flashing, cutlasses were clashing in an instant of time, and all parties
were engaged to their hearts' content in a desperate struggle. Jack
descried a young pirate, as his size showed him to be, on the right of
the party, and they at once, as if by mutual consent, singled each other
out, and were instantly hot at work like the rest, slashing away with
their cutlasses most desperately. "Yield, you young pirate, yield!"
sang out Jack, finding that he could gain no advantage over his
opponent.

"Pirate! I'm no more pirate than you are," was the reply, in a voice
whi