beings come to rescue and restore us to the living world again; but instead of them I could now discern those hateful automatic appliances that had brought us into such danger in our former encounter. And now the great guns began to boom, and the heavy shot and shell to fly over our heads, no longer aimlessly scattered abroad as at our former encounter, but evidently directed by some unknown power towards the points whence our unlucky signal-shot had indicated our position. And the fickle mob once more lost its nerve, and groaned and murmured loudly against me for having drawn upon them death and destruction. I felt they were right. I had no business to have surrendered my judgment to their unreasoning complaints.
I dared not go on board the ships myself, lest in the only too probable event of a disaster I should leave my poor flock without a head. Nor did I think right to send Gell, whom I felt I could not afford to lose, and who besides seemed to be less suited for warlike exploits than he had been four years previously. His quiet life, peaceful avocations, and settled melancholy would not I thought qualify him for the energetic
