trast between
champagne and oysters and the gritty pork and biscuit he had been
feeding upon for several days past acted like a shock.

"There again!" cried Twing, whose quick eye caught the blaze upon the
parapet.

"A shell, by the powers!" exclaimed Hennessy. "Let it dhrop first, or
it may dhrop on ye," he continued, as several officers were about to
fling themselves on their faces.

The bomb shot up with a hissing, hurtling sound. A little spark could
be seen as it traced its graceful curves through the dark heavens.

The report echoed from the walls, and at the same instant was heard a
dull sound, as the shell buried itself in the sand-drift.

It fell close to one of the picket sentinels, who was standing upon his
post within a few paces of the group. The man appeared to be either
asleep or stupefied, as he remained stock-still. Perhaps he had
mistaken it for the ricochet of a round shot.

"It's big shooting for them to hit the hill!" exclaimed a young officer.

The words had scarcely passed when a loud crash, like the bursting of a
cannon, was heard under our feet; the ground opened like an earthquake,
and, amidst the whistling of the fragments, the sand was dashed into our
faces.

A cloud of dust hung for a moment above the spot. The moon at this
instant reappeared, and as the dust slowly settled away, the mutilated
body of the soldier was seen upon the brow of the hill, at the distance
of twenty paces from his post.

A low cheer reached us from Concepcion, the fort whence the shell had
been projected.

Chagrined at the occurrence, and mortified that it had been caused by
our imprudence, we were turning to leave the hill, when the "whish" of a
rocket attracted our attention.

It rose from the chaparral, about a quarter of a mile in rear of the
camp, and, before it had reached its culminating point, an answering
signal shot up from the Puerto Nuevo.

At the same instant a horseman dashed out of the thicket, and headed his
horse at the steep sand-hills. After three or four desperate plunges,
the fiery mustang gained the crest of the ridge upon which lay the
remains of the dead soldier.

Here the rider, seeing our party, suddenly reined up and balanced for a
moment in the stirrup, as if uncertain whether to advance or retreat.

We, on the other hand, taking him for some officer of our own, and
wondering who it could be galloping about at such an hour, stood silent
and waiting.

"By heavens,