They were the last words he was to speak on earth, for as they passed his lips the Dumpling raised a hand. "God's will be done!" he said. "I can say no more. Riflemen, make ready! Present! Fire!" The result was what he had foretold. The gallant little band of police fell, dead or dying, almost to a man. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE BATTLE OF TOWER HILL. From that moment onward the rebels carried all before them. The first encounter with soldiery was at London Fields, where a regiment of militia, hastily summoned from a neighbouring barracks, was drawn up. The militia showed more discretion than the police, for after discharging one volley, and being raked by a withering fire from the rebel sharp-shooters in return, they retreated in disorder. This time the Dumpling was less merciful. "They have deliberately raised hand against the people, to do murder!" he said. "And by the God whose instrument I am, for every life they have taken, a score of them shall fall!" Instructions were given to the rebel riflemen to continue firing so long as one of the soldiers remained within range. The result was disastrous to the retreating troops. In an open space with no available cover, they could be picked off one after the other by the Dumpling's practised marksmen, with the result that scarcely a round dozen escaped to tell the tale. Flushed with victory, the rebels re-formed, and the march was resumed, this time to Tower Hill, where the Dumpling scored his first great success of generalship. Anticipating that at Tower Hill serious military resistance would be offered, he had laid his plans accordingly. An enormous empty warehouse, commanding the open space in front of the Tower, had been rented by one of his agents, under the pretence that it was to be the central office and storage house of a firm of tea merchants. At this warehouse, chests and packages, purporting to contain tea, but containing in reality rifles and ammunition, had for some days past been delivered, and a number of men--nominally clerks, packers, and warehousemen, but in reality expert riflemen, disloyal Boers and foreign mercenaries--constituted the staff, and were, on the Sunday afternoon in question, concealed upon the premises.