Chapter 28

"His back against a rock he bore,
And firmly placed his foot before;--
'Come one, come all! this rock shall fly
From its firm base as soon as I!'"

_Lady of the Lake_.

Our battle will be told with greater clearness, if the reader is
furnished with an outline of its order. As has been more than once
intimated already, Sir Frederick Dashwood had made all his preparations
to commence the assault from the side of the land, the object being to
prevent a retreat to the shore. Raoul had foreseen the probability of
this, and, with a special view to prevent the two vessels from being
easily boarded, he had caused both to be placed in such positions as
left low barriers of rocks between them and that quarter of the bay.
These rocks were portions that were not visible at any distance, being
just awash, as it is termed, or on a level with the surface of the
water; offering the same sort of protection against an attack in boats
that ditches afford in cases of assaults on _terrâ firmâ_. This was a
material advantage to the expected defence, and our hero showed his
discrimination in adopting it. On board the felucca, which was named the
Holy Michael, was Ithuel with fifteen men, and two twelve-pound
carronades, with a proper supply of small-arms and ammunition. The
Granite-man was the only officer, though he had with him three or four
of the lugger's best men.

Le Feu-Follet was confided to the care of Jules Pintard, her first
lieutenant, who had under his immediate orders some five-and-twenty of
the crew, to work four more of the carronades. The lugger had a part
only of her ballast in, and something like a third of her stores. The
remainder of both still lay on the adjacent rocks, in waiting for the
result of the day. She was thought, however, to be sufficiently steady
for any service that might be expected of her while moored, and might
even have carried whole sail, in light winds, with perfect safety. All
four of her guns were brought over on one side, in readiness to use in
battery in the same direction, By this arrangement the French
essentially increased their means of defence, bringing all their
artillery into use at the same time--an expedient that could not have
been adopted had they been fought in broadside.

Raoul had planted among the ruins the remaining four guns. With the aid
of a few planks, the breechings, tackles, and other appliances of a
vessel, this had been easily effected; and, on reviewing his work, he
had great confidence in the permanency of his pieces. The ruins
themselves were no great matter; at a little distance they were scarcely
perceptible; though, aided by the formation of the natural rock, and by
removing some of the stones to more