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‘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.

‘Was that the stone?’ said Hazel, pointing to one that lay at the foot of the fence; ‘because there seems to be some paper wrapped round it.’

‘So there is!’ said Jack, proceeding to unfold it. Presently he exclaimed, ‘I say!’

‘What is it now?’ asked Hazel.

‘Nothing for you–it’s private!’ said Jack, mysteriously. ‘Here, Guy, come down and look at this.’

Guy read it and whistled. ‘We must report this to the General at once,’ he said gravely.

Both boys were very solemn, and yet had a certain novel air of satisfied importance.

‘Shall we tell her?’ asked Guy.

‘She must know it some time,’ returned Jack; ‘we’ll break it by degrees.–We’ve just had notice that we’re going to be attacked by Red Indians, Hazel; don’t be alarmed.’

‘I’ll try not to be,’ she said, conquering a very strong inclination to laugh. She saw that they took it quite seriously; and, though she had at once suspected that some one in the village was playing them a trick, she did not choose to enlighten them. Hazel had a malicious desire to see what the General would do. ‘I don’t believe he will like the idea at all,’ she said to herself. ‘What fun it will be!’

Hazel’s expectations seemed about to be fulfilled; for already she could hear steps on the plank of the little bridge, and in another minute the General himself entered the fortress.

‘I say, you fellows,’ he began, ‘this is too bad–no one on guard, and a girl inside! Why, she might be a spy for anything you could tell!’