"'Tis the Almighty's doin'," said Sergeant Pengelly; "He's hand-in-glove with King George, and, while that lasts, us poor subject fellows have got to hate Bonyparty with all our heart and with all our mind and with all our soul and with all our strength, for richer for poorer, till death us do part, and not to be afraid with any amazement. To my mind, that's half the fun of being a sojer; the pay's small and the life's hard, and you keep ungodly hours; but 'tis a consolation to sit out here 'pon a rock and know you'm a man of blood and breaking every mother's son of the Ten Commandments wi' the Lord's leave." "What's _that_!" Gunner Oke gripped the Sergeant's arm of a sudden and leaned forward, straining his ears. Someone was crossing the track towards them with wary footsteps, picking his way upon the light shingle by the water's edge. Presently a voice, hoarse and low, spoke up to them out of the darkness. "Hist, there! Silence in the ranks!" The speaker was Captain Pond himself. "A man can hear that old fool Spettigew's cackle half-way across the Cove. They're coming, I tell you!" "Where, Cap'n? Where?" "Bare half-a-mile t'other side of Downend Point. Is the first rocket ready?" "Ay, ay, Cap'n." "And the flint and steel?" "Here, between my knees: and Oke beside me, ready with the fuse. Got the fuse, Oke?" "If--if you p-please, sir--" "What's wrong?" "If you p-please, sir, I've chewed up the fuse by mistake!" "_What_'s he saying?" "I got it m-mixed up, sir, here in the d-dead darkness with my quid o' baccy--and I th-think I'm goin' to be sick." "'Tis the very right hand o' Providence, then, that I brought a spare one," spoke up Pengelly. "Here, Un' Issy--_you_ take hold--" "Everything must follow in order, mind," Captain Pond commanded. "As soon as the first boat takes ground, you challenge: then count five, and up goes the rocket. Eh?" The Captain swung round at the sound of another footstep on the shingle. "Is that you, Clogg? Man, but you made me jump!" "Captain Pond! Oh, Captain Pond!" stammered the new-comer, who was indeed no other than Mr. Clogg, senior lieutenant of the Diehards. "Why have you left your post, sir? Don't stand there clinky-clanking your sword on the pebbles--catch it up under your arm, sir: you're making noise enough to scare the dead! Now, then, what have you to report? Nothing wrong with the main body, I hope?" "A man might call it ghosts"--Mr. Clogg in the darkness passed a sleeve across his clammy brow--"A man might call it ghosts, Captain Pond, and another might set it down to drink. But you know my habits." "Be quick, man! You've seen something? What is it?" "Ah, what indeed? You may well ask it, sir: though not if you was to put the Book into my hands at this moment and ask me to kiss it--" "Clogg," interrupted the Captain, stepping close and gripping him by the upper arm, "will you swear to me you have not been drinking?"