l?" cried Ben, excitedly.

"Seems like it, sergeant."

Ben turned to Roy with an inquiring look, and he nodded.

"Do what you think best," he said.

What Ben thought best was to withdraw the great wedge which depressed
the muzzle of his gun, the corporal doing the same; and then, after a
careful aim-taking, both pieces roared out a salute to the coming
infantry, which was marching forward in steady array.

The balls went skipping along after striking the ground a hundred yards
or so beyond the enemy's battery, and, ricochetting, darted right for
the solid moving mass of men. The effect was ludicrous, for in an
instant they could be seen from the tower to be in a terrible state of
confusion, breaking and running in all directions, and, as it were,
melting away.

"First time they've ever faced cannon-ball," said Ben, with a smile.
"I've seen better men than they after more training do the same. They
won't do it next time, though."

As far as could be seen, few people were hurt; but the shots had their
effect, for the men, as they were restored to something like order, were
marched back behind a patch of woodland, and the duel between the two
pairs of guns was recommenced with a couple of shots from the battery,
both of which struck the tower high up.

"Aha!" cried Ben, with another of his grim smiles; "got tired, then."

"Does not seem like it, Ben," said Roy.

"Tired of plumping balls into our earthwork, and doing what they ought
to have begun with.--Come, corporal, it's time we did better."

"Let's do it, then," said the man, sternly.

"Look here, Master Roy," said Ben, in a low tone; "they've just sent out
two parties of horse to right and left, and it strikes me they're going
to try something on the other side of us when they meet. Will you take
a round of the ramparts, and see as all's right, and keep the lads on
the lookout?"

"Let me fire these two shots first," said Roy.

He fired both guns, and there was a tremendous mass of earth sent
flying; but that seemed to be the only mischief done; and then as Ben
superintended the reloading, which began to be carried out now with a
fair amount of speed, he said, in a low tone--

"Now, capt'n, will you take a look round? You ought to be everywhere at
once now."

At that moment a shot just grazed one of the crenelles, and hurtled away
close overhead, making the men wince, as it gave them a better idea of
the enemy's powers than they had had before.