grenades, the reports of
muskets and pistols, the shouts and shrieks which reached our ears,
showed us that the fight was raging much nearer than usual.

"There's no doubt about the enemy being in the town," cried Lancelot.
"We may as well die fighting as be killed like rats in a hole. Come on,
lads!"

We dashed forward through the market square, in a street leading from
which towards the lines we could see, by the bright and rapid flashes,
that hot fighting was going on. A party from the harbour had come up
just in time to stop the entrance into the square, and with loud shouts
they pressed onwards, while from the windows of every house there burst
forth bright flashes from arquebuse, musket, and pistol. To force our
way in that direction was impossible, so, led by Lancelot, we made a
wide circuit, until we reached the neighbourhood of the lines, where we
found a furious fight was also raging.

We met on our way several wounded men supported by mourning parties of
women, who had ventured up, even to the scene of the conflict, for the
sake of succouring those who had been struck down. Still, the fight in
the centre of the town continued, and at length we learned from one of
the wounded men that a large body of Cavaliers had forced their way into
the town, when Colonel Blake, closing in on their rear, had cut them
off, but though Malignants as they were, like gallant men they were
fighting desperately.

Meanwhile another party outside were endeavouring to drive back the
garrison and rescue them. The darkness increased, the south wind
bringing up a thick fog, which prevented our assailants from seeing
their way. Often the hand-grenades they intended for us were thrown
among their own companions, while our people plied them with every
weapon which could be mustered. The bullets came pinging against the
wall above where we were standing, but in our eagerness we boys heeded
not the risk we were running.

"Let us fight too!" exclaimed Lancelot, and we made our way on to the
trenches, where not only the soldiers, the volunteers, and the townsmen
were fighting, but women, with muskets in their hands, were firing away,
encouraging their companions with shouts and cheers. Lancelot had got
hold of a musket belonging to one of the garrison who had fallen, and
had taken his powder-horn and shot-belt. Dick and I, after hunting
about, succeeded in finding a couple of horse-pistols, but scarcely had
we fired them than th