o
advance, they sat gaping in the boat. How could they know what anxious
ears and itching hands waited for their reply?

A voice at last, crying harshly across the ripple of the water, broke
the spell and set every tongue free again. Aye, it was good to hear
them speak.

"Bob Williams," cries the voice. "What ho! my ancient! I guess that's
you, Bob Williams."

"And I guess it isn't," roars Peter Bligh, half mad, like a true
Irishman, at the thought of a fight. "It isn't Bob Williams, and be
derned to you! Are you going ashore to Ken's Island or will you swim
awhile? It's good water for bathing," says he, "and no charge for the
machine. Aye," says he, "by the look of you cold water would not hurt
your skins."

Well, they had nothing to say to this; but we could hear them parleying
among themselves. And presently; another longboat pulling up to them,
the two together drifted in the open and then, without a word, began to
row away to the lesser reef, whose gate I had shut not an hour ago.
This I saw with very great alarm; for it came to me in an instant that
if they could force the trap--and there were enough of them to do that,
seeing that they had rifles in their hands--the whole of the lower
rooms would swarm with their fellows presently, and I did not doubt
that the house would be taken.

"Dolly," cried I, appealing to the lad, when, the Lord knows, my own
head should have been the one to lead, "Dolly," cried I, "they'll force
the gate--and what then, Dolly----?"

He had leapt up when the ship moved off, and now, drawing me back, with
nervous fingers he began to show me what a man-of-war had taught him.

"No, sir, no," says he, wildly, "no, it's not that. Help me and I'll
tell you--and oh, Mister Begg, don't you see that this gun was put here
to cover that very place?" says he.

Well, I had seen it, though in the stress of recent events it had
slipped my memory; and yet it would have been as plain as the nose on
the face to any gunner, even to the youngest. For if Czerny must hold
his house against the world, how should he hold it with one door of two
open to the sea? That devilish gun, swung there on a peak of the rock,
could sweep the waters, turn where you might. It was going to sweep the
lesser gate to-night.

"Round with her and quick about it," cries Dolly Venn, and never a
gladder cry have I heard him utter. "They're coming ashore, captain.
They are on the rock already."

I stood up to make sure of