"Vessels can stand in to three fathoms water, sir. Seven fathoms is within point-blank shot of the fort. The walls are about fifty feet high; there are twenty-seven bastions, and they mount more than two hundred guns."
"And the opposite sh.o.r.e?"
"A flat tableland, within distance for bombarding. A diversion might be made from there while the princ.i.p.al attack could be carried on in the harbour, or from a hill south of the fort."
"Is the landing easy?"
"Yes, sir. There are three sandy bays under the hill, without any surf to make landing difficult. One is out of the line of fire from the fort."
"And what about the land side? There"s a town, is there not?"
"On a neck of land, sir. There"s a wall, but nothing to keep out a considerable force. If an attack were made from that side the people would, I think, flock into the fort."
"And is that as strong as rumour says?"
""Tis pretty strong, sir; there are double walls, and thick ones; they"d stand a good battering."
"It seems to me, Admiral," said the red-faced gentleman, with a laugh, "that you"ve learnt all you sent Commodore James to find out. What do you say, Mr. Clive?"
"It seems so, Mr. Merriman. But I think, Mr. Watson, in our eagerness to learn something of Gheria, we must seem somewhat cavalier to this lad, whose interest in our plans cannot be equal to our own. You have shown, sir," he added, addressing Desmond, "great spirit and courage, not less ingenuity, in your daring escape from the Pirate. But I want to go farther back. How came you to fall into the Pirate"s hands? You have told us only part of your story."
"Yes, indeed," said Mr. Bourchier. "If you are not tired, we shall be vastly pleased to hear more, Mr. Burke."
"Your name is Burke?" interrupted Clive. "I had not before caught it.
May I ask what part of Ireland you come from, sir? Pardon me, but your accent smacks more of Shropshire than of County Dublin."
""Tis Shropshire, sir; I come from Market Drayton." ("Like yourself!"
his glowing cheeks and flashing eyes seemed to say. This was the proudest moment in Desmond"s life as yet.)
"I was not mistaken," said Clive. "I remember a schoolfellow of mine of your name; let me see----"
"Richard Burke, sir, my brother; my father was Captain Burke in the Company"s service."
"Sure I have it now. I remember him: a tall, fine old sea-dog whom I saw at times in Market Drayton when I was a child. I had a great awe of Captain Burke--i" faith the only man I was afraid of. And you are his son!--But come, I am interrupting your story."
Desmond spoke of his longing for adventure, which had led him to leave home in search of fortune. He glossed over his brother"s ill-treatment.
He told how he had been inveigled on board the _Good Intent_, and handed over to Angria when the vessel arrived at Gheria. He mentioned no names except that of Captain Barker, though he could not have explained his motive in keeping silence about Diggle.
"Barker is a villain, ripe for the gallows," said Captain King. "But Mr. Burke, I don"t understand how you came to be so hoodwinked in London. Sure you must have known that a boy without an ounce of experience would never be made supercargo. Had you any enemies in London?"
"I didn"t know that I had, sir, till the _Good Intent_ had sailed. I was deceived, but the man who promised me the berth was very friendly, and I didn"t suspect him."
"It was not Barker, then?"
"No, sir; it was a man I met at Market Drayton."
"At Market Drayton?" said Clive. "That"s odd. What was his name?"
"His name was Diggle, and----"
"A stranger? I remember no one of that name," said Clive.
"I thought he was a stranger, sir; but of late I have begun to suspect he was not such a stranger as he seemed."
"How did you meet him?"
"Accidentally, sir, the night of your banquet in Market Drayton."
"Indeed! "Tis all vastly curious. Was he lodging in the town?"
"He came in from Chester that night and lodged at the _Four Alls_."
"With that disreputable sot Grinsell----" Clive paused. "Did he tell you anything about himself?
"Very little, sir, except that he"d been unlucky. I think he mentioned once that he was a fellow at a Cambridge college, but he spoke to me most about India."
As he put his questions Clive leant forward, and seemed to become more keenly interested with every answer. He now turned and gave a hard look at the bluff man whom he had called Mr. Merriman. The rest of the company were silent.
"Do you happen to know whether he went up to the Hall?" asked Clive.
"Sir Willoughby"s? I met him several times walking in that neighbourhood, but I don"t think he went to the Hall. He did not appear to know Sir Willoughby.--And yet, sir, I remember now that I heard Diggle and Grinsell talking about the Squire the night I first saw them together at the _Four Alls_."
"And you were with this--Diggle, in London, Mr. Burke?"
"Yes, sir."
Desmond began to feel uncomfortable. Clive had evidently not recognized him before, and he was hoping that the unfortunate incident in Billiter Street would not be recalled. Clive"s next words made him wish to sink into the floor.
"Do you remember, Mr. Burke, in London, throwing yourself in the way of a gentleman that was in pursuit of your friend Mr. Diggle, and bringing him to the ground?"
"Yes, sir, I did, and I am sorry for it."
Desmond did not like the grim tone of Clive"s voice; he wished he would address him as "my lad" instead of "Mr. Burke."
"That was a bad start, let me say, Mr. Burke--an uncommonly bad start."
"Oh come, Mr. Clive!" broke in Mr. Merriman, "say no more about that.
The boy was in bad company: "twas not his fault. In truth, "twas my own fault: I am impetuous; the sight of that scoundrel was too much for me.
I bear you no grudge, my lad, though I had a b.u.mp on my head for a week afterwards. Had you not tripped me I should have run my rapier through the villain, and there would like have been an end of me."
"Shall I tell the boy, Mr. Merriman?" said Clive in an undertone.
"Not now, not now," said Merriman quickly.
The other gentlemen, during this dialogue, had been discussing the information they had gained about Gheria.
"Well," said Clive, "you are lucky, let me tell you, Mr. Burke, to be out of this Diggle"s clutches. By the way, have you seen him since he sold you to the Pirate?"