my piece, aiming steadily at
an imaginary point about two inches immediately above his head--feeling
certain that, with this amount of elevation, I should get him
somewhere--and pulled the trigger. The smoke of the discharge obscured
my view for a second or two, but a wild shout of triumph from those in
the next room told me that my shot had been successful; and then, as the
smoke drifted away, I saw the fellow lying prone on the ground, with his
men standing staring at him, as though fascinated, yet seemingly afraid
to approach and attempt to raise him. As I stood, still peering through
the loophole at the scene, my empty piece was gently withdrawn from my
hand by some one behind me, and a loaded one substituted for it,
whereupon I chose another mark and fired, bringing that man down also.
This second casualty, at such long range, seemed to galvanise the party
into sudden life; for, raising their weapons, they poured in a
straggling, irregular, but ineffective volley, as though in obedience to
an order, and then turned and raced for the nearest cover, followed by a
few dropping shots, which at least served to freshen their way, if it
did nothing else.

The entire attacking party now took cover, and opened fire upon the
house at long range. Apparently they possessed little or no skill in
the use of firearms, for, although a few shots struck the house, not one
of them came anywhere near the loopholes, and every one of the garrison
remained unscathed. Our foes were amply strong enough to have carried
the building by assault had they but possessed the courage and
resolution to charge across the open, right up to the house, and tear
down but a single one of our barricades; but they had already learned by
experience that this meant certain death to some of them; and while, if
report did not belie them, they were all ready enough to take the lives
of others with every accompaniment of the most atrocious cruelty, there
was apparently none among them willing to contribute to the success of
his party by sacrificing his own. This innocuous fusillade of the house
continued for nearly two hours, during which we made no pretence of
reply except when some individual, in a temporary access of courage,
attempted to slip across from one piece of cover to another situated a
few yards nearer the house, when he was immediately subjected to a
volley that either laid him low, or sent him scuttling back, like a
scared rabbit, to his form