ighbourhood of the mound. On
one side, a little way off, was a miniature castle, which Frank said he
had got up early in the morning to construct, so that everybody might
see what they were about. The model was much admired, and Frank acting
as architect, the work proceeded with wonderful rapidity. Some carried
the snow; others acted as masons, and piled it up and smoothed it off,
he, standing in the middle, aiding and directing. A circular tower of
fully twenty feet in diameter was quickly raised, and fully fifteen feet
high, and finished off at the summit in a castellated form, with a
parapet; and then there was an outer wall with a deep ditch; between
them and the tower was a gateway, and a bridge, constructed partly of
snow and partly of planks, led to it. It really had, when finished, a
very imposing appearance, and looked as capable of resisting a foe as
one of the Martello towers which guard the coasts of Great Britain.

Frank had, in the morning, despatched an invitation to all the boys he
knew of in the neighbourhood to come and join in the sport, and by the
afternoon a large army was collected. Everybody was too eager in the
work to go in to luncheon, so it was brought out to them. At last all
was ready. Lemon undertook to be the leader of one party; of course,
Frank acted as general of the other. Ernest, and Buttar, and Ellis were
on Frank's side; Bouldon, with Charles, and some of the other
Bracebridges, joined Lemon. There were besides some twenty or more boys
on either side, so that there were fully fifty combatants. They tossed
up as to which side was to defend and which to attack the castle. Lemon
got the first choice, and undertook the defence of the place. A flag on
a pole was hoisted in the centre, and till this was hauled down the
castle was not to be considered as captured. As soon as these
preliminaries were arranged, all hands set to work to manufacture
snowballs. Several piles were made at short distances surrounding the
castle. These might be captured by a sortie. There were also flags on
staffs stuck about which might be taken. On the outworks of the castle
and on the walls were several flags. Piles of snowballs were placed
inside the castle walls, and there were also heaps of snow out of which
others could be manufactured. Lemon had brought his horn, and the
besieging army had a couple among them, which had a very fine effect.

Frank, having marshalled his troops, formed th