“What are we to do now, Mr Gascoyne,” inquired Montague, smiling in spite of himself at the strange position in which he found himself.
“Fire away at the village as hard as you can,” replied Gascoyne, returning the smile.
“What! do you really advise me to bombard a defenceless place in which, as far as I can see, there are none but women and children?”
“Even so!” returned the other, carelessly, “at the same time I would advise you to give it them with blank cartridge.”
“And to what purpose such waste of powder?” inquired Montague.
“The furthering of the plans which I have been appointed to carry out,” answered Gascoyne somewhat stiffly, as he turned on his heel and walked away.
The young captain reddened and bit his lip, as he gave the order to load the guns with blank cartridge, and made preparation to fire this harmless broadside on the village. The word to “fire” had barely crossed his lips when the rocks around seemed to tremble with the crash of a shot that came apparently from the other side of the island, for its smoke was visible, although the vessel that discharged it was concealed behind the point. The Talisman’s broadside followed so quickly, that the two discharges were blended in one.