the ends, while he went
to another patient.

"Been a regular fight, then?" said Bob, who kept on questioning me, and
making me tell him everything, though I felt as if I could hardly speak.

"Yes," I said, "terrible."

"But old Big; where's he?"

"Wounded, and keeping watch where the Frenchmen went."

"Old Big wounded, eh? And a regular fight--French and English too.
Well, of all the shabby mean beggars that ever lived, you and old Bigley
are about the two worst."

"What do mean?" I cried angrily.

"There, don't wriggle that way or I shall stick the needle in you. To
go and have a big genuine fight like that and never let me know."

"Here, Bob, quick!" cried the doctor, and my old school-fellow had to go
and help bandage another's wound.

"He will have his grumble," I said to myself, smiling as well as I could
for one in pain.

The daylight grew broader, and the blackened counting-house and cottages
more desolate-looking, the whole place seeming to be suffering from the
effects of some terrible storm, and as I lay there I saw the doctor go
on busily bandaging the poor fellows' wounds, every one suffering the
pain he was caused without a murmur. The worst cases he temporarily
bandaged, leaving the rest till the men were better able to bear it, and
at last he came round to my father, who was wounded in two places.

"Die? No: there are some ugly chops and holes, but I'm not going to let
any of the brave fellows die," cried the doctor cheerily. "Now the
first thing is to get the women back and a roof over that long shed in
case it should rain. I'll have a lot of ling cut for beds, but I must
have some help. Perhaps I had better ride over to the village--no, I'll
send my boy. But I say, Duncan, I think you ought to have given better
account of the Frenchmen."

"Why, they had to get fifteen or sixteen wounded men away," I cried, and
then winced.

"And serve 'em right," said the doctor. "Here, Bob!"

_Bang, bang_!

"What's that?"

"Bigley's signal; and by the way, doctor, the poor lad is wounded too.
Come along and see."

"No, I'll go," said the doctor. "You are not fit."

"But I'm going all the same," cried my father; and I saw them go off
along the cliff path.

"Here, Mars Sep," said our foreman, "I'm going to climb up yonder to see
what's going on; will you come?"

"I don't think I can do it," I said, "but I'll try;" and with the help
of his hand now and then I managed to climb up the