sket being pointed through them. My musketrymen would be
stationed at these loopholes, each man having an assistant who would
stand by to pass him a fresh cartridge and bullet as soon as his weapon
was discharged; and of course the musketrymen and their assistants would
be moved from room to room as required, according to the point against
which the attack was most strongly directed. I considered that we ought
to stand a very good chance of making an effective defence, because it
would be exceedingly difficult for our assailants to force a way into
the building so long as our sand-bag walls stood firmly, and I believed
it would require more courage than a negro possessed to charge home to
them and overthrow them in the face of such a fire as we could direct
upon them from the advantageous position which we should occupy.
Moreover, we should possess the important advantage of being almost
completely protected from their fire, and consequently should be able to
take aim coolly and collectedly, while they would be fully exposed,
there being no better cover for them than a few scattered bushes here
and there, which I determined to remove, should there be time after our
more important defences were complete.

At length, after some two hours of the most strenuous work that those
negroes had ever performed in their lives, we had done everything that
it was possible to do; so, first stationing a dozen of our best men at
various commanding points, to act as pickets and give us timely warning
of the approach of the enemy, we went to breakfast, most of us with
excellent appetites, although I am bound to admit that the ladies did
not eat much. When the meal was over, without any news from our
pickets, I went out through an opening that we had purposely left in the
front door barricade, and took a good look round. Passing from picket
to picket, I questioned each man closely as to whether he had seen any
signs of the enemy; but they all replied in the negative. Indeed,
although I carefully scanned every open space I could see, even
examining it with the telescope, not the faintest indication of lurking
danger could I anywhere discover, although Montpelier was by this time a
mere smouldering ruin, to all appearance utterly deserted.

I was about to return to the house to inquire whether, after all, we
might not have taken too much for granted in assuming as a certainty
that Bella Vista would be attacked, when one of the pickets u