“Why not?” demanded Hoppy fiercely. “Can’t you see how the thing stands? Raggett won’t take his ship into the shallow waters. He has no proper knowledge of the conditions just outside the bars, and if you were taking any notice you might have heard me purposely exaggerate the danger of trusting to his charts. He won’t take any chances of getting stranded, I can tell you, and he will keep at a safe distance. Then, if he intends to attack the villages he must depend on his barges to land his forces.” “And what’s to prevent him from doing that?” “His common sense, man. Supposing he decides to land a strong force, and it must be pretty strong if our people put up any sort of a fight, he must do so at high water. Well, the flats extend for more than a mile to seaward and the landing party must make pretty good use of the time to be able to get away safely before the ebb catches the boats on the flats. Raggett has only about three hundred men on the ‘Spencer,’ and the ‘Nymph’ and the ‘Bulwark’ are not likely to leave their own stations to assist him, unless in case of great need. His landing party might number two hundred fighting men, but I doubt it. That would leave his ship pretty shorthanded in case of disaster to the barges. And why shouldn’t they meet disaster? Are the men of Cape Cod going to imitate old Samoset and say once again ‘Welcome, Englishmen!’? I don’t believe it!” “But you must remember, Hoppy, that the people are very poorly equipped for a fight against the well-armed enemy?” “I know that; but, as I pointed out just now, the flats will more than compensate for the difference in that way. There is too much risk about landing a large force and Raggett will not take it. If Eastham, Orleans and Brewster join forces to repel the invaders they will surely beat them.” “I wish I could look at it in your way, Hoppy, but I can’t. The ‘Spencer’ could get close enough to destroy the salt works, anyway.” “The salt works be damned! Good God, man! this is war, and something has to go. Her artillery can’t do very much damage to the town which, after all, is only a sparsely settled place. She will be too far off shore for the range, though, of course, she’s bound to do some injury to property. I tell you, Win, that Raggett will make a big show but he will not weaken his ship by detailing two-thirds of his crew for shore work. When he decides on doing it he will take care to have the other ships with him.” Captain Knowles was a man of tried courage. He would not be found wanting when the test came, but his best judgment would not allow him to take Hoppy’s view of the case. There was great truth in much of Hoppy’s summing up, but to Win it appeared incredible that the outcome of any clash of arms could be otherwise than disastrous to the Americans.