Guy levelled his firearm. It is exasperating when a sister can't enter into the spirit of the thing better than that. Who ever heard of a sentry being told, on challenging, 'not to be a donkey'? 'My orders are to fire on all suspicious persons,' he informed her. Hazel stopped both her ears. 'No, Guy, please--it makes me jump so.' 'There's no cap on,' said he. 'Then there's a ramrod, or a pea, or something horrid,' she objected; 'do turn it the other way.' 'Hazel's all right, Guy,' said Jack, in rebuke of this excessive zeal; 'we can let her pass.' 'As if I wanted to pass!' exclaimed Hazel. 'I only came to bring you back to tea; and if you're afraid to go without leave, there's a permission from Clarence for you.' 'Oh! come in and have a look now you're here,' said the garrison more hospitably. 'You can't think how jolly the inside is.' 'Well, if I must,' she said; though, as a matter of fact, she was exceedingly curious to see the interior of the stronghold. 'It's like the ones in "Masterman Ready" and "Treasure Island," you see,' explained Jack, proudly. 'And it's pierced for musketry, too; we could open a withering fire on besiegers before they could come near us.' 'They would have to be rather stupid to want to besiege this, wouldn't they?' said Hazel. 'I don't see that--besiegers must besiege something. And it is snug, isn't it, now?' Hazel was secretly much impressed. In the centre of the enclosure was the commander's tent, with a lantern fixed at the pole for night watches; and rugs and carpets were strewn about; at one of the angles of the palisading was the look-out--an elaborate erection of old wine-cases and egg-boxes--on the top of which was fixed a seven-and-sixpenny telescope that commanded the surrounding country for quite a hundred yards. She was not the person, however, to go into raptures; she merely smiled a rather teasing little smile, and said, 'Mar-vellous!' but somehow, whatever sarcasm underlay this was accepted by both boys as a tribute. 'You can see now,' said Guy, in a reasonable tone, 'that there wouldn't have been room here for all you girls--now, would there?' 'Girls are always in the way--everywhere,' said Hazel, with a reproachful inflection which was quite lost upon her brothers. 'I knew you'd be sensible about it,' said Jack; 'you can't think what fun we have in here--especially at night, when the lantern's lit. Hallo! there's some one calling.' A shrill whistle sounded from the kitchen garden, and, a moment after, a stone came flying over the stockade, and was stopped by the canvas of the tent. 'That's cool cheek!' said Jack; 'get up and reconnoitre, Guy--quick!' Guy mounted the scaffold, and brought the telescope to bear upon the immediate neighbourhood with admirable coolness and science--but no particular result. 'We shall have to scour the bush and see if we can find any traces of the enemy,' said he with infinite relish.