"Yes, sirr."
"Still, I'm afraid he'll pull that cord a bit too soon for us."
"He'll no, sirr," remarked M'Snape confidently.
"Why not?" asked the Captain.
M'Snape told him.
Captain Mackintosh surveyed the small wizened figure before him almost affectionately.
"M'Snape," he said, "to-morrow I shall send in your name for lance-corporal!"
IV
The defenders were ready. The trenches were finished: "A" and "B" had adjusted their elbow-rests to their liking, and blank ammunition had been served out. Orders upon the subject of firing were strict.
"We won't loose off a single shot until we actually see you," Captain Blaikie had said to Captain Mackintosh. "That will teach your men to crawl upon their little tummies, and ours to keep their eyes skinned."