n working-party, followed by their
guard marched slowly and silently out; a second strong guard was posted
at the far end of the bridge to cover the retreat if one should have to
be made--these last being under the command of the corporal; and Master
Pawson volunteered in a whisper to stay with the men. Roy acquiesced,
feeling rather glad to be without his company.

Next a halt was called, and all listened as they gazed out in the
darkness in the direction of the enemy. Then feeling how commanding a
position the latter had in the possession of their horsemen to act as
scouts, and who might approach very near unseen, and discover the plans
of the night, Roy gave orders for the guard at the end of the bridge to
advance two men, to station them as sentries at equal distances, to keep
in touch with the working-party.

"Fiddler's right," growled Ben, to himself. "He will make a splendid
officer one of these days."

The next minute the work was silently begun, the guard being thrown out
in a half-moon formation in front of the outer gate-way which covered
the bridge.

Ben's plans were very simple. He had the heaviest beams they had
brought stretched across the gate-way, as high as they could reach
overhead, and propped against the masonry on either side with shorter
beams; then poles, planks, and fagots were stretched in a slope from the
ground to the crossing timbers, so as to make a scarp; and, as soon as
this was done, shovel and pick were set to work to dig a deep wide
ditch, the earth from which was thrown up over the wood; while men on
either side filled baskets and carried their loads to pile upon the
slope as well.

It was roughly done work, but every shovelful added to the strength of
the bank, which rapidly grew in thickness as the hours glided on, the
workers being relieved from time to time to do duty as guards, while the
guard took their turn at shovelling and filling.

There was no halting, the men having refreshments served out to them by
Roy's forethought as they were relieved; and so the work went on till
towards dawn, when a couple of men were strengthening the bank from
behind with short pieces of wood wedged up against the crossbeams, as
the weight of the earth began to make them bend.

"You'll have to set a party to work by daylight, filling up on this
side, Master Roy," said Ben, quietly. "If we heap up earth and turf
here, it will be the best support, and a regular trap for all their
balls