uch
straitened for provisions, but the admiral contrived to send him a supply.

Nelson pitched a tent on shore and personally superintended all the
operations. A considerable body of seamen were landed, and worked like
horses, dragging guns up heights that appeared inaccessible, making roads,
and cutting down trees with which to build abattis.

CHAPTER XIII

WITH NELSON

One day during the siege Nelson said to Will: "I'll be glad, Mr. Gilmore,
if you will accompany me on an excursion along the shore. I have my eye on
a spot from which, if we could get guns up to it, we should be able to
command the town. From what I have seen of you I believe you know more
about mounting guns than anyone here, so I'll be glad to have your opinion
of the position."

Will of course expressed his willingness to go, and they at once started
in the gig. They rowed on for some time, keeping a sharp look-out for
suitable landing-places. At last Nelson bade the men lie on their oars,
and pointed to the ridge of which he had spoken.

"Well, what do you say?" he asked, after Will had made a careful
examination of it from the boat.

"I am afraid it would not be possible, sir, to carry out your plan. The
labour of getting the guns up from the shore would be enormous, and
considering the rugged state of the country I question if they could be
taken across to the ridge when they were up."

"No; I agree with you. I did not examine it so closely before; and at any
rate, underhanded as we are, we could not spare enough men for the
business. We may as well, however, row a bit along the shore. I am
convinced that if we could land three or four hundred men within five or
six miles of the town, and attack it simultaneously on both sides, we
should carry it without much trouble. The French have been fighting well,
but they must have been losing heart for some time. A Frenchman hates to
be cornered, and as they see our batteries rising they cannot but feel
that sooner or later they must give in. I fancy by this time they are
asking each other what use it is to keep on being killed when they must
surrender in the end."

They had rowed on for a couple of hours without fixing on a suitable
place, when Nelson exclaimed: "We are going to be caught in a fog. That is
distinctly unpleasant. Have we a compass in the boat?" he said, turning to
the coxswain.

"No, sir. I thought you we