show it, Big."

"I won't," he said sturdily.

Just then the man who had approached slowly made a dash in close to the
house, and I was thinking that somebody ought to have shot him down when
he dashed back again, and his friends received him with a loud shrill
cheer.

As the cheer died away there was a low hissing noise from outside, and I
knew it was the fuse burning, and then we all shrank together to the
farthest corner of the room, waiting in the most painful suspense for
the explosion, which we knew must follow, but which seemed as if it
would never come.

It was only a matter of so many seconds, but they seemed to be minutes
of terrible suspense, before there was a flash, the air seemed to have
been sucked out of the room, and then, in the midst of a terrific roar,
the floor was lifted up, and one end then fell, so that we all slid down
into the room below in the midst of splinters, plaster, dust, and broken
joists, just as the Frenchmen uttered a yell, and came dashing towards
the open door.

What followed was one scene of wild confusion. It seemed that my father
and his men came dashing out of the back room, and we were seized and
dragged over the heap of broken wood-work and plaster, to be placed
behind it, where we struggled to our feet, and then, in the midst of the
clouds of blinding dust and choking gunpowder smoke, everybody made a
breast-work of the damaged wood, and received the charge of the French
sailors with pistol-shots and blows from the cutlasses.

This proved so effective that they fell back, running out as fast as
they came in, and my father took advantage of the lull to have a few
pieces of furniture dragged forward, and laid upon the heap of refuse so
as to give us a better breast-work to fight behind.

"Hurt, Sep?" cried my father.

"No," I replied, "only shaken."

"That's well. Keep more back, my boy. Now, lads, cutlasses; here they
come!"

There was a yell and a rush, the clashing of steel, with shouts and
groans, and the Frenchmen were beaten back again.

"Time for breathing, my lads," cried my father, as we stood there in the
darkness with the light full upon our enemies as they gathered at a
short distance from the shattered doorway. "Who's hurt?"

"No one much, captain," growled the foreman. "A few chops and
scratches. Here they are!"

For just then there was a yell, and the enemy rushed at us, coming in a
little column, and this time led by an officer.

They c