“No, no, Strake.—There, you keep your men ready in case they do come back, Roy,” whispered Syd; “I’ll go up and report matters to Mr Dallas.”
Chapter Forty Two.
“Could not have happened better,” said the lieutenant, as he was put in possession of all particulars. “The accident happened well, and gave them a lesson in our strength that may make them think twice before attacking us.”
“Then you think they will attack us?”
“Sorry to say I have no doubt about it, and since I have been lying here I have come to the conclusion that it would be better to bring that upper gun down, and mount it about twenty feet from the other. The attack must come from the lower end. If, however, they could land, and tried to scale the rocks at the top of the gap, you would have to defend the upper battery the best way you could. Even if you had a gun there you could not get more than one shot. Haul it down at once.”
Syd went off and communicated the result of his conversation to Roylance and Strake.
“Yes, I think he’s right,” said the former. “Eh, Strake?”
“Right, sir; why of course he is. I felt that when we got the guns up, only it warn’t for me to give my ’pinion. Speaking in parabolas like, what I say is, that the t’other gun’s worth twopence up there, but down here it ’ll be worth a hundred pound or more. Start at once, sir?”