hs), we cared not much about
drilling our forces, only to teach them to hold a musket, so far as we
could supply that weapon to those with the cleverest eyes; and to give
them familiarity with the noise it made in exploding. And we fixed upon
Friday night for our venture, because the moon would be at the full; and
our powder was coming from Dulverton on the Friday afternoon.

Uncle Reuben did not mean to expose himself to shooting, his time of
life for risk of life being now well over and the residue too valuable.
But his counsels, and his influence, and above all his warehousemen,
well practised in beating carpets, were of true service to us. His
miners also did great wonders, having a grudge against the Doones; as
indeed who had not for thirty miles round their valley?

It was settled that the yeomen, having good horses under them, should
give account (with the miners' help) of as many Doones as might be
despatched to plunder the pretended gold. And as soon as we knew that
this party of robbers, be it more or less, was out of hearing from the
valley, we were to fall to, ostensibly at the Doone-gate (which was
impregnable now), but in reality upon their rear, by means of my old
water-slide. For I had chosen twenty young fellows, partly miners, and
partly warehousemen, and sheep farmers, and some of other vocations, but
all to be relied upon for spirit and power of climbing. And with proper
tools to aid us, and myself to lead the way, I felt no doubt whatever
but that we could all attain the crest where first I had met with Lorna.

Upon the whole, I rejoiced that Lorna was not present now. It must have
been irksome to her feelings to have all her kindred and old associates
(much as she kept aloof from them) put to death without ceremony, or
else putting all of us to death. For all of us were resolved this
time to have no more shilly-shallying; but to go through with a nasty
business, in the style of honest Englishmen, when the question comes to
"Your life or mine."

There was hardly a man among us who had not suffered bitterly from the
miscreants now before us. One had lost his wife perhaps, another had
lost a daughter--according to their ages, another had lost his favourite
cow; in a word, there was scarcely any one who had not to complain of
a hayrick; and what surprised me then, not now, was that the men least
injured made the greatest push concerning it. But be the wrong too great
to speak of, or too small to swe