ast, &c., were
broken and upset. I joined another party, and, having finished my
breakfast, I proceeded to meet the general, who had arrived to examine
our approaches in this direction.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXII.

The breached bastion was found to be a tough piece of masonry, extremely
thick and well put together; so we pegged away at its foundation. At
last some of the stones began to give warning that they were tired of
the fun, and would not stand it any longer--so down they came; and those
on the top, wishing to show their attachment, soon followed, and by the
following day, the breach looked ascendable.

When I went down to the breaching-battery, I saw my old friend, the
Irish sergeant, busy laying a gun. "Well, sergeant," said I, "what do
you think of the breach?"

He replied, "The divel a better within a day's march."

"Do you think we shall get in, sergeant?"

"The divel a fear of that, for there is not a living soul but what our
shells have kilt and destroyed; so that when you are in, you will have
nothing to do but shoot the remainder, and take the place in a moment."

"I am afraid you are too sanguine, sergeant," said I.

"Not at all, your honour: you will not find ten living men in the whole
fort that our shells have not destroyed. If you do, call Paddy Dogan a
spalpeen."

"Well," I answered, "we shall see, sergeant."

"Fait!" said he, "that's more than they will; it would do their dead
eyes good to take a peep at our brave boys getting up the breach."

Here was a general titter at the expense of poor Pat; and he exclaimed,
"Fait! you may laugh, but it's no laughing matter; how would you like
to be kilt yourselves? Answer me that question."

At the back of the breach stood the once splendid palace of its rightful
owner, but now one general mass of ruins. The breach was reported
practicable, and the storming ordered for the following morning, giving
time to knock off all defences behind which the enemy could secrete and
hide themselves, so as to annoy the storming party; but the keeledar of
the fort, seeing his haughty tower tumbling to the ground, his soldiers
falling victims to our shells wherever they showed themselves, and that
several fatal explosions had already occurred during the siege, began to
think seriously of giving up the fort, rather than stand the storm. He
had, indeed, lost a great number of his best men. A messenger was
therefore dispatched from the fort, stating