the same
way.

"But are you really in earnest, Nancy?" said Lieutenant Dillon, at last.

"Upon my soul I am; but, at the same time I hear that they will fight
hard, for they are well armed and desperate, like their husbands, and
they swear that they'll all die to a woman, before they yield; so now we
shall see who fights best, the women or the men. I'll back my own sex
for a gold Jacobus, lieutenant: will you take the bet?"

"Good God, how very annoying! I can't, I won't order the men to fire at
women; could not do so if they were devils incarnate; a woman is a woman
still."

"And never the worse for being brave, Lieutenant Dillon; as I said to
Sergeant Tanner, your regiment, after this, will always go by the name
of the lady-killers."

"Damn!" exclaimed the lieutenant; "but now I recollect there must be
more there; those who had possession of the cutter and who landed in her
boat."

"Yes, with forty boxes of gold, they say; but do you think they would be
such fools as to remain there and allow you to take their money?--that
boat started for France yesterday night with all the treasure, and are
now safe at Cherbourg. I know it for a fact, for one of the men's wives
who lives here, showed me a letter to that effect, from her husband, in
which he requests her to follow him. But I must go now--good-bye, Mr
Lady-killer."

The lieutenant repeated what Nancy had told him to the officers, and the
major was so much annoyed, that he went up; to the admiral and stated
what the report was, and that there were only women to contend with.

"It is mentioned in the despatches, I believe," observed the admiral,
"that there are only women supposed to be in the cave; but the smugglers
who were on board the cutter--"

"Have left with their specie yesternight, admiral; so that we shall gain
neither honour nor profit."

"At all events, you will have the merit of obeying your orders, Major
Lincoln."

The major made no reply, but went away very much dissatisfied. In the
meantime, the sergeant had communicated with his non-commissioned
officers and the privates ordered on the duty, and the discontent was
universal. Most of the men swore that they would not pull a trigger
against women, if they were shot for it, and the disaffection almost
amounted to mutiny. Nancy, in the meantime, had not been idle; she had
found means to speak with the boats' crews of the Yungfrau, stated the
departure of the smugglers with their gold,