ccident; they never fired
straight at us. Now, if you were in command out there, sir, you'd do
something different."

"I should fire straight up here, Ben, and try to silence these guns."

"Of course you would, sir; just as you're going to silence theirs."

"And the sooner the better, Ben. They're nearly ready again."

"Are they, sir? I can't see. My eyes are not so young as yours. Well,
we're quite ready; and if you orders, we're going to give it 'em in
earnest."

"Go on, then," said Roy, "and see if you can't stop their firing."

Ben smiled grimly, and bent down to regulate the aim he took, while the
same was done with the other gun. The result was that the corporal's
shot went right through the embrasure of the piece to the left, while
Ben's went over.

As the smoke cleared away, a scene of confusion was visible; but the gun
on the right was fired directly after, and the shot plunged into the
bank of earth raised the previous night.

"Ah!" grumbled Ben; "you've got the best gun, my lad; there must be a
twist in mine, for she throws high."

"Like to change?" said the corporal.

"No. I'm going to get used to mine and make her work better."

Shot after shot was fired from the gate tower, the men warming to their
work, and the results were very varied; for, in spite of the care
exercised and the rivalry between Ben and the corporal, the clumsily
cast balls varied greatly in their courses, so that at the end of an
hour's firing very little mischief was done on either side. The enemy
had had their earthen parapet a good deal knocked about, and some men
had been injured; but all the advantage they had obtained was the
battering down of some scraps of stone, which lay about the front of the
great gate-way.

"Soon clear that away with a broom," growled Ben; "but I'm a bit
disappointed over these guns, captain. We ought from up here to have
knocked theirs off the carriages by this time."

"We shall do it yet," said Roy; and during the next few shots he himself
laid the guns, taking the most careful aim.

"As I said afore, your eyes are younger and better than mine, Master
Roy, but you don't shoot any more true.--Hullo! what are they doing
there?"

He looked earnestly at the battery, where the men seemed to be extra
busy, and at a solid mass of troops marching on from some hundreds of
yards behind, straight for the castle.

"They're never mad enough to come and deliver an assault; are they,
corp'ra