ere flaunts the hated golden flag of
Spain, holds San Josepho and eight hundred of the foe; and but three
nights ago, Amyas and Yeo, and the rest of Winter's shrewdest hands,
slung four culverins out of the Admiral's main deck, and floated them
ashore, and dragged them up to the battery among the sand-hills; and now
it shall be seen whether Spanish and Italian condottieri can hold their
own on British ground against the men of Devon.

Small blame to Amyas if he was thinking, not of his lonely mother at
Burrough Court, but of those quick bright flashes on sand-hill and
on fort, where Salvation Yeo was hurling the eighteen-pound shot with
deadly aim, and watching with a cool and bitter smile of triumph the
flying of the sand, and the crashing of the gabions. Amyas and his party
had been on board, at the risk of their lives, for a fresh supply of
shot; for Winter's battery was out of ball, and had been firing stones
for the last four hours, in default of better missiles. They ran the
boat on shore through the surf, where a cove in the shore made landing
possible, and almost careless whether she stove or not, scrambled
over the sand-hills with each man his brace of shot slung across his
shoulder; and Amyas, leaping into the trenches, shouted cheerfully to
Salvation Yeo--

"More food for the bull-dogs, Gunner, and plums for the Spaniards'
Christmas pudding!"

"Don't speak to a man at his business, Master Amyas. Five mortal times
have I missed; but I will have that accursed Popish rag down, as I'm a
sinner."

"Down with it, then; nobody wants you to shoot crooked. Take good iron
to it, and not footy paving-stones."

"I believe, sir, that the foul fiend is there, a turning of my shot
aside, I do. I thought I saw him once: but, thank Heaven, here's ball
again. Ah, sir, if one could but cast a silver one! Now, stand by, men!"

And once again Yeo's eighteen-pounder roared, and away. And, oh glory!
the great yellow flag of Spain, which streamed in the gale, lifted
clean into the air, flagstaff and all, and then pitched wildly down
head-foremost, far to leeward.

A hurrah from the sailors, answered by the soldiers of the opposite
camp, shook the very cloud above them: but ere its echoes had died away,
a tall officer leapt upon the parapet of the fort, with the fallen flag
in his hand, and rearing it as well as he could upon his lance point,
held it firmly against the gale, while the fallen flagstaff was raised
again within