I'll take your
orders for what we're to do first."

"Yes, Ben; what ought we to do first?"

"Well, sir, it's you as know. You said something about strengthening
the guard at the gate."

"Oh, but I say, Ben, that was you said so."

"Only as your mouthpiece, sir."

"But it sounds silly to talk about strengthening the guard at the gate
when we've only got old Jenk, and no regular sentry to put there."

"Never you mind about how it sounds, sir, so long as it's sense," cried
Ben, striking his fist into his left palm. "We've got to make our
garrison and our sentries out of the raw stuff, and the sooner we begin
to sound silly now the better. It won't be silly for any one who comes
and finds a staunch man there, who would sooner send a musketoon bullet
through him than let him pass."

"No, Ben, it will not, certainly. Whom shall I send?"

"Well, sir, if I was you, I'd do it as I meant to go on. You give me my
orders, and I'll go and enlist Sam Rogers in the stable at once, bring
him here fierce-like into the armoury; put him on a buff coat, buckle on
a sword, and give him his bandoleer and firelock, and march him down
with sword drawn to relieve guard with old Jenk."

"But he'll be cleaning the troopers' horses, and begin to laugh."

"Sam Rogers, sir? Not him. He'll come like a lamb; and when I marches
him down to the gate, he'll go out like a lion, holding his head up with
the steel cap on, and be hoping that all the servant-girls and the cook
are watching him. Don't you be afraid of him laughing. All I'm afraid
of is, that while he's so fresh he'll be playing up some games with his
firelock, and mocking poor old Jenk."

"Pray, warn him, then."

"You trust me, sir. Then, when that's done, perhaps you'll give the
orders to find quarters for our new men, and tell 'em that they're to
rest till to-morrow by your orders; and after that there's the
drawbridge and portcullis."

"Yes; what about them?"

"Why, sir, you know how they've been for years. You must have 'em seen
to at once; and, if I was you, I'd have the portcullis seen to first,
and the little sally-port door in the corner of the tower. We shall
want half a dozen men. I'm a bit afraid of the old bars and rollers,
but we shall see."

"Order the men to come, then, when you've done, and let us see, and get
everything right as soon as possible."

Ben saluted in military fashion, and marched off to the hall, where Roy
heard him speak in a che