Ben’s eyes twinkled as his rank was mentioned, and he gave his young master a grateful look.
“Well, sir,” he said, “they’ve been fast asleep in that garden all these years, with enough ivy over ’em to keep ’em warm in winter and the sun off ’em in summer; but, now they’ve been woke up, I believe they’ll bark as loudly and bite as well as any dogs of their size. If they’d been cast iron, I should have been for putting a very light charge in ’em and standing a good way off when they were fired, but, seeing as they’re regular good brass guns and not a bit worn, all they want is a good cleaning up, and then they’ll be fit to do their work like—like—well, sir, like guns. What do you say, corporal?”
“I say they’re a fine and sound pair o’ guns, sergeant, as’ll do their work. We should like a night’s rest first, but in the morning my two lads and me will give ’em a good scour up, and you won’t know ’em again.”
“Right! If the captain says yes, you shall; but I want to be with you—I’m armourer here.”
“Oh, of course, sergeant,” said the trooper. “Don’t you think we want to take your place.”
“I don’t, my lad,” said the old soldier, warmly; “and I’m only too glad to have three comrades out of the reg’lars to stand by me and help me to lick the recruits into shape.”
“Thank ye, sergeant,” said the man. “We four can soon do that. They’re the right stuff, and only want a bit o’ training.” Then, turning and saluting Roy respectfully, he went on: “Sir Granby give us all a talking-to, sir, and said he’d picked us out because we—I mean t’others—was the handiest fellows he knew in the regiment, and he hoped we’d do our best to get things in a good state of defence. And, of course, sir, we shall.”
The great, manly fellow spoke with a simple modesty that made Ben’s eyes sparkle, and he nodded his head and remained silent when the man had ended, but gave vent to his satisfaction by bringing his hand down heavily upon the trooper’s shoulder.
“We’ll see to the other guns now then,” said Roy.
“Yes, sir,” said Ben, promptly. “Forward there to the sou’-east tower.”