d come in the oak closet, which he locked.

"Powder's powder, sir; so one has to take care," he said. "Now for a
touch port-fire, and we'll try what sort of stuff it is."

Ben gave Roy a knowing look, and then from a drawer in the table he took
a piece of prepared oakum such as was used for lowering into the pan of
a freshly primed gun, stepped to a case in which were some old rammers,
and declared himself ready to start, but hesitated and went to his
tool-drawer again, out of which he routed a long thin spike.

"Now I think we're ready, sir," he said, and they went out to where the
men were waiting, and prepared to load the two guns under the gate
tower.

"These are only makeshifts," said Ben, apologetically, as he indicated
his rough cartridges; "but they'll do to clear out the guns," and he set
them down in the door-way leading into the old guard-room.

Then the long thin pin was tried in the touch-holes of both guns, and
after a good deal of poking and drilling the orifices were cleared.
Meanwhile, one of the troopers took the rammer Ben had brought out,
inserted it at the muzzle, and found that it would only go in half-way.
So a ragged stick was fetched, run in, twisted round and round, and
withdrawn, dragging after it a wad of horsehair, cotton, hay, and
feathers, while a succession of trials brought out more and more, the
twisting round having a cleansing effect upon the bore of the gun as
well.

"Ah!" said Ben, solemnly, "them tomtits have had the guns all to
themselves for a fine time. I shall have to make some tompions to keep
them out."

Quite a heap of nest-building material was drawn out of the two guns,
the first obtained being evidently of that season, while farther in it
was old and decayed to a mere mouldy powder that might have been carried
in by the industrious little birds a score of years before.

At last all was declared clear. The bags of powder were thrust in, a
wad of the cleanest hay from the heap followed, and one of the troopers
rammed the charges home, with the result that the powder rose well in
the touch-holes, and nothing remained to be done but to insert the
lightly twisted pieces of touch-string and apply a light.

"Better way than doing it with a red-hot poker, as some of us might like
to stand back till the guns are proved," said the old soldier, grimly.
"One of you take that there to the kitchen and get a light," he said,
"to do for a port-fire."

He handed a piece of