"Glad he got safely home," I said. "I don’t think he’s got home yet," grinned Mr. Parker. "I don’t think he’ll find many home comforts in this island. Hurry him up, Jones," turning to the gun’s crew, who had ceased firing. Jones took careful aim, fired, and the shell burst just behind the pony, sending up a cloud of dust and stones. The frightened beast reared and tried to bolt, but the rider calmly quieted it, and, shaking his fist at us, walked it slowly over the crest of the slope. "That’s a fine chap," said Mr. Parker admiringly, and sent me down to his cabin to get him some more tobacco. Our work for the day was done, and after towing the boats back to the _Laird_ we joined "No. 2", and after dark took up the usual position close to the entrance for the night. As we towed the cutter back to the ship I could see that Dumpling was wildly excited, and wondered what yarns he would spin in the gun-room that night about his experiences under fire. The Commander did not return to his ship, but came back to "No. 3" and turned in early, dog-tired—too tired even to smoke or make any funny remarks. I was not allowed on deck, and slept like a log. Presently—it seemed only ten minutes afterwards—I was roughly shaken and, half dazed, ordered on deck to get the dinghy into the water. It was very cold, quite dark, and a damp drizzle made everything slippery—as cheerless an outlook as one could imagine. We got the dinghy out, put a compass into her, and Jones, with the oars wrapped round with cotton-waste to prevent them from making any noise in the rowlocks, took his place in the boat. Then up came the Commander in his overcoat, and he and I got into her, somebody threw me an oil-skin, and we shoved off into the dark. I had not the least idea what we were going to do, and, only half awake, felt miserable to a degree. "Just the morning for it," chuckled the Commander; "a damp mist and a calm sea." "What are we going to do, sir?" I asked, beginning to wake up, and shivering. "Right in under the forts, boy. Want you to tell me when we come to the rocks which had those lights on, wait there till it’s light enough to see the guns, and slip away again. The tide is flowing strongly now, and will carry us down to the entrance." "Oh!" was all that I could answer, and felt anything but happy. Jones was only paddling easily, but for all that we bumped into a rock. "Get into the bows, Glover, and shove her off," the Commander told me, and I scrambled for’ard. We went on again, keeping along towards the entrance, and occasionally bumping. On the top of one of these rocks was a great sea-bird. It flapped, screeching, into the darkness with a shrill cry of alarm, which I thought would wake the whole island. How my heart did beat!