It was not an hour--though it seemed several--before the white flag, which had been hauled down as soon as the messenger regained the fort, ran up again; and instantly the boarding party--for such in fact it was--dashed across a kind of garden, which had at its end zigzag paths and steps carved in the rock; the officer having as he went out volunteered to show Will, who had acted as interpreter, this short cut, telling him that it would be mighty important for the occupying party not to lose a minute of time in taking possession. "I would willingly have told you more, sir," he added; "but I have some pride left in my misfortunes, and your commander's attitude makes it impossible for me to mention that which was the chief part of our terms." By Captain Troubridge's leave, Will, who had no fear, accompanied him alone, it being undesirable to draw attention; nor was he in any great danger so long as he was with the officer who had borne the flag of truce, or afterwards, but from a chance musket-shot fired by some rebel too insubordinate to obey his officers. Even in the short while that Will was away the occupying party had been formed, headed by Captain Troubridge himself, who had divined from the brave officer's manner that there was an affair of grave importance in the air. The garrison kept their word about doing nothing to draw our fire. Presently Will returned, and led the party to the appointed place, where they were sheltered from observation of the sentries by a little grove of orange trees, and could yet see the flagstaff. As soon as the white flag ran up, they dashed through one of the ornamental gardens which the Italians fashion so quaintly out of the sides of rocks, paying little heed, you may be sure, to shrubs or statues, but with their eyes bent on the breastwork at the top of the zigzag paths they had to climb, from which they as good as expected a sharp fusillade or a volley of boulders. But the officer had kept his word, and they gained the breastwork uninjured, finding its gate open. It was a very few yards from this to the fort, where likewise they found the gate open and no guards; but from which they could hear the sounds of an angry tumult and one or two shots. Drawing pistols, and gripping swords and cutlasses, they were led at a rush up the steep slippery stone incline from the gate into the interior of the fort; and there they came upon a mob of Jacobins of the lower class who were battering at a door and firing from time to time at a little window, fortunately high up, from which was waving a handkerchief. In an instant Captain Troubridge and Vassall and Will, who were leading our column, were slashing among them, driving straight for such as were armed with muskets or pistols.