It had been settled that the landing party, whom Will was fetching, should call at the Embassy for orders as to where they should post themselves. Rough disguises would be waiting for them in a room by the little wicket on the lower side of the palace, which was guarded by a confidential servant of Sir William, an Englishman, the grand gates of a palace like the Embassy not admitting of business of a very private nature. The Admiral would be at the wicket himself to give orders. Great was the astonishment of the men, when they were admitted, to see not only the Admiral but My Lady, and another strange lady hooded from observation. The upshot of it all was that the men, hastily disguised, marched by a detour to a house belonging to Sir William's cook, who kept up too great an establishment to admit of his living on the premises. This worthy had a garden gate opening into a back street, whose road was almost as high as the top of his house, the slope being very steep. Through this gate the men were admitted, and posted in the house to watch results. Time passed very slowly indeed. It seemed as if they had all been fooled by a serving-woman's tattle, when suddenly the quick clash of steel, followed by agonised cries for help, sent them flying out, headed by Will. The dozen sailors made short work of the cowardly assassins, who were hired to murder without even knowing the why, or the names of their victims. The Mergellina Count and his brother had no occasion to raise the cry of "Wolf" to disperse their followers. Half a dozen or more of them had already received the long dispatch, and the remainder would be out of Naples as far as their legs would carry them. Both chairmen were slain, being struck before they could set down their load to defend themselves. They were brave fellows, and would not drop their burden incontinently. The counterfeit link-boy had more than one wound, but he was a good swordsman, and, being on the watch for assault, he had been able to save himself. The officer in the chair had escaped the daggers, and had come off with nothing worse than a concussion as the chair grounded. There was no time to be lost, so making the whole man change places with the wounded, and substituting four of our sailors for the two slain chairmen, they went at the double to the Embassy, and were soon safe inside its quadrangle. None of the packages were missing.