nemy was
not to be despised, and compelled them to take much greater precautions
than before, and to maintain, at all times, a strong force in their
advanced trenches.

On the 25th a tremendous explosion was heard, and the troops from all
quarters rushed towards the tower to repel the expected assault. Had the
mine been carried a few feet farther, the whole tower would have been
destroyed, but the French miners had come across a vault which
projected a little distance beyond the tower above it, and believing
that its wall was that of the tower itself, they had placed the charge
against it. Although therefore a partial failure, the effect was
tremendous. A portion of the outer wall of the tower was blown down,
some two hundred Turks, who formed its garrison, and some pieces of
cannon, were buried in the ruins. A small party of French rushed forward
before the smoke had cleared away and established themselves in the
lower stories. The Turks, however, rallied very quickly from the shock,
and opened so tremendous a fire from the walls, aided by the cross-fire
from the ships, that no reinforcements could reach the party in the
tower, and the next morning early they evacuated the place, which was
rendered untenable by the fire of the Turks in the story above them.

So soon as they had left the building the enemy concentrated their
batteries upon it. At the sound of the explosion Sir Sidney Smith, with
the sailors and marines of his guard, at once rushed through the streets
to the tower.

"Bravo, the Turks!" Wilkinson exclaimed, as he and Edgar ran along by
the side of the sailors. "Listen to their musketry fire! It is clear
that they are standing their ground anyhow, and that there is no panic
this time."

Sir Sidney was greatly relieved when, on his arrival at the tower, he
found that, although shaken and shattered, it still stood an obstacle to
an entry into the town. He went along the wall, warmly praising the
Turkish officers and men for their courage.

"That is a weight off my mind, colonel," he said to Phelypeaux. "I have
been scarcely able to close an eye for the last week. That mine has been
a perfect nightmare to me. There was no saying when it was going to
explode, and although the Turks have worked hard at that countermine we
set them to dig, I had little hope that you would be in time, as you had
to take it right under the foundations of the tower. I think that we
must congratulate ourselves heartily that it