ed in the wall of the floor by which
they entered it.

"The masonry must be very rotten," Beatty said, "or they would not have
knocked holes in it as soon as this."

They descended the stairs into the story below, and uttered a
simultaneous exclamation of alarm. A yawning hole some eight feet wide
appeared.

"This is serious, Wilkinson. Let us take a look down below."

"Look out!" Wilkinson shouted as a ball passed just over their heads and
struck the wall behind them. "Stand back here a moment."

He ran forward and looked down.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed, "there is a breach down to the bottom of the
tower level with the lower storey ground, and a heap of rubbish at the
foot outside. I don't think it is high enough yet for anyone to get up
to the opening, but it will soon be practicable if it is not now. Look!
look! I can see a large body of French among the trees there. They are
about to advance to storm the breach. Run, Blagrove, and wake up the
Turks. We will go back and fetch up the marines and blue-jackets. The
enemy may be in the place in five minutes."

Leaving the tower, Edgar ran along the wall.

"Take your men to the tower at once!" he shouted to the first Turkish
officer he saw. "The French are crossing the ditch."

Instead, however, of obeying him the officer and his men ran to one of
the steps leading up to the wall, and commenced shouting, "The French
are in the town!"

Edgar saw that he had told the news too suddenly, and that it was
hopeless for him to try to stop the flood, therefore ran along the wall
until he reached the stairs leading down to the open space in front of
Djezzar's palace. As he had been frequently there before, he made his
way straight to the apartments where Djezzar transacted business.

"The French have breached the tower, pasha," he said, "and their
storming party was about to cross the ditch when I came away. There are
no troops there to defend the breach, and those on the wall are flying.
Unless you yourself go out and rally the men to the defence the town is
lost."

Djezzar was thunderstruck at the news. He had showed himself brave in
battle, but with the fate of Jaffa in his mind he now lost heart
altogether.

"It is too late!" he said, and catching up his sword he ran out of the
palace, and directed his flight towards the landing-place.

Edgar ran towards the breach again, and on the way came upon his two
companions running along, with the marines and blue-jacke