of the world needs looking after," Sir James
exclaimed testily.

Sir John ignored this shaft. "You'd better ride over to Pendennis Castle
to-morrow and borrow as many men as the garrison can spare you."

"A score should be plenty," said Sir James. "It's astonishing--or so I've
always heard--what a few trained men will do against irregulars."

"Treble the number, and you may save bloodshed," was Sir John's advice.

Early next morning, after a cursory inspection of the defences, the
Sheriff rode over to Pendennis and held consultation with the Governor.
The Governor, who had fifty men in garrison, agreed that twenty would
suffice for the job; so twenty were told off, under command of a sergeant,
and that same afternoon marched with Sir James to Nansclowan. On their
way through Wendron church-town they were hissed and pelted with lumps of
turf; but this hint of popular feeling made slight impression on the
sanguine Sheriff, who had convinced himself that the resistance of Steens
would collapse at the sight of his redcoats.

Having rested them at Nansclowan for the night, he led them forth at
dawn and along the high-road to within fifty yards of the barricade which
the defenders had drawn across it. There was no thought of tactics.
He consulted for a minute with the sergeant, who knew nothing of the
strength of the defence except from gossip (which he disbelieved), and the
soldiers were ordered to charge.

Sir John Piers, seated on horseback a few paces off, had a mind to
ride forward and protest. To his mind the order spelt sheer lunacy.
The barrier, to begin with, stood close on twenty feet high, built of
rough timbers staked in the ground and densely packed with furze.
Nothing could be seen behind it but the top of the second barrier,
which at fifty yards distance guarded the approach from Helleston.
This nearer one stretched across the road from hedge to hedge, and, though
none were perceptible, loopholes there must be and eyes watching every
movement of the soldiers.

But Sir John had already this morning proved himself a false prophet.
All the way from Nansclowan he had been assuring the Sheriff that the
whole country would be advertised of the red-coats' arrival and agog for a
fray; that he would have not only the defenders of Steens to deal with but
a sympathetic mob outside, and likely enough a large one. Nothing of the
sort! They had overtaken indeed a few stragglers on the road: a knot of
boys had