_, and crew, should proceed round to the north side
of the island and bombard the native village."

"The Goat's Pass," growled Thorwald, "sounds unpleasantly rugged and
steep in the ears of a man of my weight and years, Mister Gascoyne. But
if there's no easier style of work to be done, I fancy I must be content
with what falls to my lot?"

"And, truly," added Montague, "methinks you might have assigned me a
more useful, as well as more congenial occupation than the bombardment
of a mud village full of women and children--for I doubt not that every
able-bodied man has left it, to go on this expedition."

"You will not find the Goat's Pass so bad as you think, good Thorwald,"
returned Gascoyne, "for I propose that the _Talisman_ or her boats
should convey you and your men to the foot of it, after which your
course will be indeed rugged, but it will be short;--merely to scale the
face of a precipice that would frighten a goat to think of and then a
plain descent into the valley where, I doubt not, these villains will be
found in force; and where, certainly, they will not look for the
appearance of a stout generalissimo of half savage troops. As for the
bombarding of a mud village, Mr Montague, I should have expected a
well-trained British officer ready to do his duty whether that duty were
agreeable or otherwise."

"My _duty_, certainly," interrupted the young captain, hotly, "but I
have yet to learn that _your_ orders constitute _my_ duty."

The bland smile with which Gascoyne listened to this tended rather to
irritate than to soothe Montague's feelings; but he curbed the passion
which stirred his breast, while the other went on--

"No doubt the bombarding of a defenceless village is not pleasant work,
but the result will be important, for it will cause the whole army of
savages to rush to the protection of their women and children; thereby
disconcerting their plans--supposing them to have any--and enabling us
to attack them while assembled in force. It is the nature of savages to
scatter, and so to puzzle trained forces,--and no doubt those of his
Majesty are well trained. But `one touch of nature makes the whole
world kin,' says a great authority; and it is wonderful how useful a
knowledge of the various touches of nature is in the art of war. It may
not have occurred to Mr Montague that savages have a tendency to love
and protect their wives and children as well as civilised men, and
that--"

"Pray, cease