“Get ready, men,” Hector said.  “Another round and the gate will fall.”

As the cannon rung out there was a shout of triumph.  One of the gates fell to the ground and Hector dashed forward, followed closely by his company.  Not a single shot was fired from the walls, and the men burst through the gates cheering.  The leading wing of the company turned to the right, and, led by Hector, ran up the steps close to the gateway on to the rampart.

“Take them on to that bastion at the angle of the wall, lieutenant.  I do not think that you are likely to be attacked at present.  The enemy must all have been drawn off to the other end of the city.  Now, my man, open that bag.”

In it were a couple of dozen large nails and a hammer.  “Drive one of those right down the vent of this gun.  That is right.  One more blow.  That will do.  They won’t get that nail out soon.”

He went along the wall spiking each gun until they reached the half company drawn up in the bastion.  “No enemy in sight, lieutenant?”

“None, sir, at least not on the wall.  We heard them running away in the streets below.”

“Remember, lieutenant, whatever force may come along you must withstand them.  It will not be for long.  You will be at once supported if we hear firing.”

Then he retraced his steps along the ramparts, passed over the gateway, and saw to the spiking of each gun as far as the next angle of the wall.  Here he repeated his instructions to the lieutenant there.

“I do not think,” he said, “that there is much chance of your being attacked.  The enemy would have to make a detour right round the citadel to come here, and certainly they will return by the shortest way, as soon as they discover that the other attack is but a feint.”

Then he returned to the first party.

“Get the two guns,” he said, “out of their embrasures and wheel them here.  It is likely enough that we may be hotly attacked presently.”

They waited half an hour, by which time the wagons were beginning to pour out of the town.

“We have done our business, lieutenant; the citadel is revictualled.  Ah! here come the enemy, just too late.”

A strong body of troops were seen marching rapidly towards them, and almost at the same moment a heavy fire broke out in the street.  The guns had been loaded from a small magazine in the bastion, and had been trained to fire along the rampart.  When within a hundred yards the enemy opened fire.  Hector ordered the men to lie down and not to reply until he gave the order.  They lay in two lines, the first were to fire and the second to reserve their fire until ordered.  He took his post at one gun and the lieutenant at the other.  A messenger had been sent along the wall to bring up the twenty-five men of the other wing.  When the enemy were within fifty yards he asked quietly, “Does your gun bear well on the centre of the column?”