or though when
they were freshly come it had been noticed that the sea ran high a
quarter of a mile out from the lower end of the gap, the existence of a
reef was not suspected, and it was some time before the defenders could
thoroughly believe that the frigate could not get into position for
sweeping the little gully from end to end.

Again the frigate's position was changed, and fire opened.

"We ought to shake hands on this," cried Roylance. "Fire away,
Monsieur, knock down the rocks; it's all good for the powder and ball
trade."

"And doesn't frighten us a bit," added Syd, who for the moment forgot
his important position, and its seriousness. "Haven't you seen Terry
yet?"

"No."

"And I arn't seen my boy Pan, gen'lemen," said the boatswain--"My word,
that was a good one," he interpolated, as a heavy shot struck the rock
about twenty feet below the flagstaff, and a good ton of stones came
rattling down--"strikes me as that boy's a-showing the white feather,
gen'lemen, and it goes home to my 'art."

"The boy's wounded, Strake; don't be too hard on him."

"Not so bad but what he might ha' done powder-monkeying with one hand.
But there's a deal o' vartue in rope's-ends arter all, and if I gets
through to-day--"

"You'll forgive him. What are they doing now?" Syd shouted to the man
at the look-out, for the frigate was once more close in, south of the
little pier, and had for half an hour been blazing away, but doing not
the slightest harm.

"Getting her boats out, sir."

"Preparing to board, sir," cried Strake. "Round shot first as they come
on?"

"But the boats will be close in before we can get a shot at them, and
there will not be time to reload," said Syd. "It is not as if they were
going to row straight in, so that we could see them for some time first.
It must be grape."

"Grape it is, sir. Right," cried Strake, and the guns were charged
accordingly.

The men's orders were that they should wait till the enemy were well in
by the little pier, then to fire, and as there would not be time to
reload, they were to seize their cutlasses and pikes and be ready for
the attacking party, who would undoubtedly swarm up to the foot of the
rock wall, provided with spars, or something in the way of tackle, to
enable them to scale the place, when the desperate fighting must begin.

They were not long kept in waiting after the guns had been depressed,
and their muzzles brought to bear well upon the only