The lieutenant started at once, and when he returned, some hours later, he
reported that there was a ledge some twenty feet long and twelve deep. "It
is about eight feet from the water's edge and some twelve above it, sir,"
he said, "and is not noticeable until one is almost directly opposite it.
If we were to pile up rocks regularly four feet high along the face, both
the gun and its crew would be completely hidden."

"Get one of the hands on board, Mr. Farrance; I will myself go and see it
with you."

One of the men at once climbed on deck, and the captain took his place in
the little dug-out. When they reached the ledge he made a careful
inspection of it.

"Yes," he said, "ten men could certainly lie hidden here, and with a rough
parapet, constructed to look as natural as possible, they should certainly
be unobserved by an incoming boat, especially as the attention of those in
the stern would be directed into the inlet. Will you order Mr. Forster and
one of the other midshipmen to go with as many men as the raft will carry,
and build such a parapet. They had better take one of the rope-ladders
with them and fix it to the ledge by means of a grapnel. There is plenty
of building material among the rocks that have fallen from the precipices
above. I must leave it to their ingenuity to make it as natural as
possible."

When they returned to the ship the first lieutenant called Forster and
gave him the captain's orders.

"You can take young Gilmore with you," he said. "Your object will be to
make it as natural as possible, so as to look, in fact, as if the rocks
that had fallen out behind had lodged on the ledge. The height is not very
important, for if a boat were coming along, the men would, of course, lie
down till it was abreast of them, and the cannon would be withdrawn and
only run out at the last moment."

"Very well, sir, I will do my best."

The raft was again brought into requisition, and it was found that it
could carry twelve men. Dimchurch and nine others were chosen, and, using
oars as paddles, they slowly made their way down to the spot.

"It will be a difficult job to make anything like a natural wall there,"
Forster said.

"Yes," Will agreed, "I don't see how it is to be managed at all. Of course
we could pile up a line of stones, but that would not look in the least
natural. If we could get up three or four big chunks they might do if
filled in with small stones, but it would be impossible to r