e to King Philip,
the old fellow said, and in Philip's name he held the town and Rock of
Gibraltar, and would continue to hold them as long as he could.

"That looks like business," cried George, gleefully, to a little group
of his comrades around, and the men smiled at the eager enthusiasm of
the lad. The orders were passed round that the attack should begin
with daybreak on the following morning, and the soldiers went to roost
at once, with easy minds. It was believed that the attack would be but
a harmless bit of child's-play, as it was more than suspected that the
defending force within the town was very small, though how
ridiculously small it really was none of the besiegers at the time
even guessed.

"Turn out, mate," cried one of the soldiers, shaking George vigorously
by the shoulder, and the boy sprang up to find everybody astir.

"How I do sleep in this hot country!" he yawned, to which the sergeant
replied with a laugh, "It'll be hotter still before long, my lad,
never fear."

It was a long time before the first shot was fired, however, the
disposition of the troops and the guns not being complete. At length a
movement was made. The _Dorsetshire_, with Captain Whitaker in
command, was sent to capture a French privateer with twelve guns,
which lay at the Old Mole, and the boom of cannon rose in the air.

Presently, from near the spot where Lieutenant Fieldsend and his
little company were posted, a shot was fired into the fortifications;
then another, and afterwards a third. Work had begun at last.

A puff, a boom in the distance, and there came screaming through the
air a big round shot, striking the ground, ploughing it up, and
covering those near with dust and dirt.

"Quite near enough, eh, sir?" George observed to his lieutenant, as
they shook the earth from their clothing. "And, by Jove, there's
another of them!" A second shot flew just overhead, to do its deadly
work on the unfortunate men who stood immediately behind. George
Fairburn's first task in the siege was to help to carry to the rear
two or three badly wounded men. On the ground lay a couple who needed
no surgeon.

As yet only a few preliminary shots had been fired into the fortress,
but the defenders were evidently quite ready with their reply, and the
order for a general attack rang out. Within a few minutes the fight
was raging in terrible fashion. From land and sea alike the shot
poured into the town; sailor and soldier joining, and