"Well, I don't know so much about that, Mr Poole, sir," put in the carpenter. "Strikes me that as sure as nails don't hold as tight as screws unless they are well clinched, when we have driven off these here varmin, and go to look for them in that 'ere boat we shall find them gone." "What do you mean?" cried Poole. "Muskeeters will have eaten them up. They are just awful under the bushes and among the trees." "Look there," said Fitz, interrupting the conversation. "Seem to be more coming on." "That's just what I was thinking, Mr Burnett, sir. Reinforcement, don't you call it? My! How wild our lads will be, 'specially old Butters, when I come to tell 'em all about it. Makes me feel like being on board a man-o'-war again, all the more so for having a young officer at my elber." "Don't you be insolent," said Fitz. "Well!" cried the carpenter. "I say, Mr Poole, sir, I call that 'ard. I didn't mean cheek, sir, really." "All right, Chips, I believe you," said Fitz excitedly. "Look, Poole; they're getting well round us. Look how they are swarming over yonder." "Yes, it means the attack," replied Poole coolly. "Yes," cried Fitz. "Oughtn't we to begin, and not let them get all the best places? There's nothing like getting first blow." "Ha, ha!" laughed Poole, who did not seem in the slightest degree impressed by the serious nature of their position. "You're not a player, you know. This is our game." Fitz reddened, and turned away with an impatient gesture, so that he did not see the carpenter give Poole a peculiar wink and his leg a silent slap, indicative of his enjoyment. Every one's attention was fully taken up the next moment, for it was evident from the movements on the enemy's part that they were being divided into three bodies, each under a couple of leaders, who were getting their ragged, half Indian-looking followers into something like military form, prior to bringing them on to the attack in a rush. Fitz watched all this from behind one of the breastworks he had seen put up by the carpenter, who was going about testing the nailing of the boards, and as he did so giving Don Ramon's followers a friendly nod from time to time, as much as to say, Only seeing as it had got a good hold, mate,--and then, once more forgetting Poole's reminder, the boy said excitedly-- "Well, I don't think much of Don Villarayo's tactics. He's exposing his men so that we might shoot half of them down before he got them up to the astack." "Oh, they're no soldiers, nor sailors neither," replied Poole. "It's a sort of bounce. He thinks he's going to frighten us out of the place; and we are not going to be frightened, eh, Chips?" "_We_ are not, Mr Poole, sir; I'll answer for that. But I don't know how Mr Ramon's chaps will handle their tools." "I should say well," cried Fitz, still warming up with the excitement, and speaking frankly and honestly. "They'll take the example of you old men-of-war's men, and fight like fun."