very man of
the party knew exactly what he had to do; and within five minutes the
platform was alive with English seamen, some of whom were engaged in
hauling up powder and clay from below, while others were employed in
silently loading the guns with heavy charges of powder, upon the top of
which they tightly rammed down stiff clay, with which they filled each
gun to its very muzzle. Then, when each piece had been similarly
treated, the whole were very carefully primed, after which a length of
quick match, long enough to allow of the safe retreat of the man who
should ignite it, was securely inserted among the priming; the two
insensible sentinels, bound hand and foot, and effectually gagged, were
lowered to the ground, and the entire party retreated as they had come,
with the exception of one man who volunteered to remain and ignite the
length of match immediately that he saw a portfire burned from the wall
of the castle which stood on the top of the adjacent hill. The whole
business had occupied scarcely twenty minutes, and when it was finished
there was nothing to show that the garrison had become aware of what was
happening above their heads.

Once more assembled on the ground beneath the walls of the battery, the
party was rapidly counted by Dick, to ascertain that all were present,
save the man left above on the gun platform; and this formality having
been quickly gone through, the unconscious sentinels were picked up and
carried away to a distance of about a hundred yards from the battery,
where they were effectually concealed in a thick clump of bushes, after
which the Englishmen rapidly pushed forward up the hill. Arrived near
the top, Dick halted them for a moment near a clump of bamboo, two long
stout stalks of which were quickly cut down, and, without waiting to
strip them of their leaves, converted into a light ladder by lashing
cross-pieces of bamboo to them. Then, with this improvised ladder
carried by two men, the party resumed its way, arriving about a quarter
of an hour later beneath the frowning walls of the castle, which, like
the battery below, was found to be in total darkness, at least so far as
the face fronting them was concerned. They crossed the dry ditch
without difficulty, and once on the other side, reared their ladder
against the wall, finding it amply long enough for their purpose.

Here again Stukely took the lead, being the first to ascend the ladder.
But as he reached the top and