’Twas an open space we had to cross, dotted with gorsebushes; and the enemy’s regiments, plain to see, drawn up in battalia on the slope above, which here was gentler than to the south and west. But hardly had we gone ten yards than I saw a puff of white smoke above, then another, and then the summit ring’d with flame; and heard the noise of it roaring in the hills around. At the first sound I pull’d up, and then began running again at full speed: for I saw our division already in motion, and advancing up the hill at a quick pace. The curve of the slope hid all but the nearest: but above them I saw a steep earthwork, and thereon three or four brass pieces of ordnance glittering whenever the smoke lifted. For here the artillery was plying the briskest, pouring down volley on volley; and four regiments at least stood mass’d behind, ready to fall on the Cornish-men; who, answering with a small discharge of musketry, now ran forward more nimbly. To catch up with them, I must now turn my course obliquely up the hill, where running was pretty toilsome. We were panting along when suddenly a shower of sand and earth was dash’d in my face, spattering me all over. Half-blinded, I look’d and saw a great round shot had ploughed a trench in the ground at my feet, and lay there buried. At the same moment, Billy, who was running at my shoulder, plumps down on his knees and begins to whine and moan most pitiably. “Art hurt, dear fellow?” asked I, turning. “Oh, Jack, Jack—I have no stomach for this! A cool, wet death at sea I do not fear; only to have the great hot shot burning in a man’s belly—’tis terrifying. I _hate_ a swift death! Jack, I be a sinner—I will confess: I lied to thee yesterday—never kiss’d the three maids I spoke of—never kiss’d but one i’ my life, an’ her a tap-wench, that slapp’d my face for ’t, an’ so don’t properly count. I be a very boastful man!” Now I myself had felt somewhat cold inside when the guns began roaring: but this set me right in a trice. I whipp’d a pistol out of my sash and put the cold ring to his ear: and he scrambled up; and was a very lion all the rest of the day. But now we had again to change our course, for to my dismay I saw a line of sharpshooters moving down among the gorsebushes, to take the Cornishmen in flank. And ’twas lucky we had but a little way further to go; for these skirmishers, thinking perhaps from my dress and our running thus that we bore some message open’d fire on us: and tho’ they were bad marksmen, ’twas ugly to see their bullets pattering into the turf, to right and left.