A PIRATE HOLD
A fortnight later the _Cerf_ passed along under easy sail between the
island of Margarita and the mainland. She was now getting very close to
the spot where, if the prisoner was right, the pirates' hold lay. The
Stars and Stripes was hanging from the peak, and with her high bulwarks
and ten ports on each side no one would have suspected that she was not,
as she seemed, an American man-of-war, heavily armed. Passing close to
another island, they headed more south into the bay as they neared
Caracas. Every foot of the islands was closely scanned. Five miles
farther, they came abreast of the Chimana isles, and pointing to one of
these that lay nearer the shore than the others, the prisoner exclaimed
that he was certain that that was the island.
"I am sure of it," he exclaimed, "both from the look of the island
itself, and from that high range of mountains on the mainland to the
south-east."
"You are quite sure?"
"Certain, captain; there are the large trees I spoke of growing down
close to the water. It is behind them that there is a little ravine by
which one can climb up."
No alteration was made in the ship's course, but she continued her way
until sunset, when she dropped anchor off the mouth of the river La
Pasqua, some twenty miles west of the islands.
As soon as it was dark Curtis was sent off in a gig manned by six
rowers. The oars were muffled; the orders were to row round the island
within an oar's length of the shore, and to find the entrance to the
channel, which, if the prisoner was right as to the place, should be on
the side facing the mainland. Pierre, the French lad, was taken with
them. It was a long row to the island, but the gig was a fast one, and,
at three o'clock in the morning, she returned with the news that
Pierre's information had been correct. They had found the opening but
had not entered it, as Mr. Playford had given strict orders on this
point, thinking it probable that there would be a sharp look-out kept in
the batteries, especially as the supposed cruiser would certainly have
been closely watched as she passed.
An hour later the anchor was got up and the _Cerf_ sailed for Oruba, off
which she arrived three days later. There were no signs of the frigate,
and indeed the _Cerf_ had arrived at the rendezvous before the time
fixed. At daybreak on the third morning the topsails of the _Orpheus_
were made out from the mast-head, and four hours later she and the
_Cerf_ met, and Mr. Playford went on board the frigate to report.
"This is good news indeed," the captain said when he heard that the
haunt of the pirates had been discovered. "Of course you have taken the
exact position of the island, for we must, if possible, take them by
surprise?"
"Yes, sir; it lies as nearly as possible in 64 deg. 30' west longitude and
10 deg. 22' north latitude."
"We will lay our course east, Mr. Playford, for, of course, you will
keep company with us. The water is deep all along the coast, and there
seems to be from thirty to thirty-eight fathoms to within a mile or two
of the coast. I shall lay my course outside the Windward Islands as far
as Blanquilla, thence an almost due south course will take us clear of
the western point of Margarita and down to this island. We will discuss
our plan of attack later on."
On the morning of the third day after leaving Oruba the island of
Blanquilla was sighted. The frigate made the signal for Mr. Playford to
go on board, and on entering the captain's cabin he found him and Mr.
Hill examining the chart.
"You see, Mr. Playford, we are now as nearly as possible a hundred miles
north of the island; with this wind we should pass the point of
Margarita at about four o'clock in the afternoon; if it freshens we will
take in sail, I want to be off the island say three or four hours before
daybreak. You will send that French lad on board when you go back; as
soon as we anchor he will go in the gig with Mr. Hill to reconnoitre and
make sure that there is no mistake about the place. When he finds that
it is all right he will come back. The boats will be in the water, and
the men on board in readiness, and will at once start, so that the
landing may, if possible, be effected just at daybreak at this ravine on
the north of the island. At the same hour you will sail in and take up
your place opposite the mouth of the harbour, and fight anything that
tries to come out.
"It is quite possible that as soon as our party attack the place on the
land side any craft there may be there will cut their cables and try to
make off. On no account try to enter; the batteries would blow you out
of the water. You will start as soon as the boats leave the ship, and
will therefore have light enough for you to go in and to avoid making
any mistake, for you see there are half a dozen islands lying close
together. There is no objection to their seeing you, and indeed I
should be rather glad if they do, for in that case they are the less
likely to discover the landing-party, and though they must see the
frigate they will think that she is only lying there to cut them off if
they try to escape. They will be manning their batteries and getting
everything ready to give you a warm reception, and I hope that we shall
drop upon them as if out of the clouds.
"Mr. Hill will command the landing-party, which will consist of a
hundred and fifty seamen and the thirty marines, which, with the
advantage of surprise, ought to be sufficient. As you report that the
island is less than a mile long and not much more than half a mile
across, the landing-party will soon be at work. After they have landed,
Mr. Hill will divide them into two parties, and will endeavour to make
his way round the inlet, keeping up among the trees, and then rush down
upon the batteries. When he has captured these he will fire three guns
as a signal to you. You will have your boats in readiness, and will at
once tow the schooner in, and, on reaching the boom, bring her broadside
to bear upon any craft there, and generally aid the landing-party with
your guns. If, by good luck, the three craft we have been so long
looking for are all there you will have a strong force to tackle; you
may certainly take it that their crews will together mount up to three
hundred men, and it is likely that there may be a hundred others who
form what we may call the garrison of the place when they are away."
"Very well, sir."
The two vessels headed south under easy canvas, passed the point of
Margarita at the hour that had been arranged, and then taking in still
more sail proceeded slowly on until, about one o'clock in the morning,
the island could be made out with the night-glasses. Then both were laid
to, Captain Crosbie having forbidden anchoring, in the first place owing
to the great depth of water, and in the next because, although the
island was three miles away, the chain-cable running out might be heard
at night if the pirates had anyone on watch on the hill. Nat, whose
watch it was, saw the gig shoot away from the side of the frigate. An
hour later and there was a bustle and stir on board the _Orpheus_, and
all her boats were lowered. At five bells the crew began to take their
places in them, and soon afterwards the gig returned. The watch below
were called up and sail was made, and at half-past three the boats
started, and the _Cerf_ was headed towards the land. Dawn was just
breaking when they reached the island. All was still. It had been
arranged that, unless discovered, the attack on the batteries was not to
be made until five o'clock, and just at that hour the _Cerf_ arrived off
the narrow entrance to the port. Half an hour before, a musket had been
discharged on the hill above them, and it was clear that their coming
had been observed; but as no sound of conflict could be heard inland
there was every reason to suppose that the pirates had no suspicion of a
landing having been effected on the other side.
"That is what I call being punctual," Nat said to Curtis as two bells
rang out just as they opened the passage.
A light kedge anchor was dropped, and as this was done a patter of
musketry broke out from the hill above them. Their action showed that
the arrival of the brigantine was no matter of chance, but that she was
there expressly with the intention of attacking the pirates' stronghold,
and those who had been watching her, therefore, saw that any further
attempt at concealment was useless. In the night the canvas band had
been taken down, as there was no longer any reason for concealing the
identity of the brigantine. The musketry fire only lasted for a minute,
for suddenly a roar of battle broke out within a hundred yards of the
mouth of the entrance. The sailors burst into a loud cheer. It was
evident that the landing-party had met with complete success so far, and
had approached the batteries unobserved, and that a hand-to-hand fight
was going on.
Above the cracking of pistols the cheers of the seamen could be plainly
heard, but in two or three minutes the uproar died away, and then three
guns were fired at short intervals. The boats were already in the water,
the kedge lifted, and the crews bending forward in readiness for the
signal.
"Take her in, lads!" the lieutenant shouted, and the schooner's head at
once began to turn towards the inlet.
A moment later two broadsides were fired.
"There are two of their craft in there!" Curtis exclaimed. "Now our
fellows have carried the batteries they have opened fire on them."
As he spoke there was another broadside, which was answered by a hurrah
from all on deck. It was clear that they had had the good luck to catch
all the pirates at once. Three minutes' rowing and the boom was in
sight. Mr. Playford called to one of the boats to take a rope from the
stern to the battery on the right-hand side, and ordered the others to
cease rowing.
"We have way enough on her!" he shouted. "As soon as you get near the
boom take her head round to port, and carry the rope to shore. You can
fasten it to the chain at the end of the boom."
As he gave the order a gun spoke out from the battery on the right,
followed almost immediately by one on the left.
"They are slueing the guns round!" Nat exclaimed. "We shall be having
our share of the fun in another minute or two."
They could now obtain a view into the piece of water inside the passage.
It was nearly circular, and some three hundred yards across. Two
brigantines and a schooner were lying in line, within fifty yards of the
opposite shore. A large range of storehouses stood by the water's edge,
while the hillsides were dotted with huts, and dwelling-places of larger
size. By the time that the brigantine was got into position by the side
of the boom the pirates had loaded again, and several shots struck her.
Her guns were already loaded, and those on board poured a broadside into
the brigantine at the end of the line. The sailors in the battery were
working with might and main to slue all the guns round to bear upon the
pirates. On the hillsides above them a scattered fire of musketry was
being kept up, and Mr. Hill hailed the schooner.
"Mr. Playford, will you land a party of fifteen men on each side to
clear the hills of those rascals? I don't think there are many of them,
but they are doing us a good deal of damage, for they can hardly miss us
closely packed as we are here."
"Ay, ay, sir. You hear the orders, gentlemen. Mr. Curtis, you land with
fifteen men on the starboard side, and do you, Mr. Glover, take the
party that lands to port. Clear the scoundrels out--give no quarter!"
The boats had just returned. The two midshipmen leapt into them, and a
few strokes took them ashore.
"Up the hill, lads!" Nat shouted. "Don't fire until you are at close
quarters. Give them one volley if they are together, then sling your
guns, and go at them with the cutlass!"
There was but little fighting, however, for there were only ten or
twelve pirates on either side, as their main force was distributed
between the batteries and the ships. They were therefore very easily
driven off, five or six of them being killed and the rest flying with
all speed towards their village, where those who had escaped from the
batteries were already going off in boats to the ships. The two
midshipmen therefore returned to the schooner.
"Don't come on board!" Mr. Playford shouted. "See if you can free one
end of the boom. If so we will go in and engage one of those craft."
It was found that the boom was fastened at Nat's side, and the chain was
soon unwound from the stump of a large tree. Then the two boats together
got hold of the end of the boom and swung it round so that the schooner
could pass. The enemy kept up a heavy fire upon them while they were
doing this, and just as the job was completed, Curtis's boat was smashed
to pieces by a round shot. The breeze was very light, but it was in the
right direction.
"Shall we tow, sir?" Nat called to his commander.
"Certainly not. Get your men on board at once."
The sails, which had been loosely furled, were dropped again, and the
brigantine stole past the batteries, which saluted her with a rousing
cheer, while the guns were worked with redoubled energy to keep down the
fire of the pirates. The _Cerf_ was swept with round shot and grape by
the guns of the three piratical craft, but the distance to be traversed
was so small, and the fire from the battery to which the pirates working
their guns were exposed was so heavy, that the men fired wildly, and the
_Cerf_ suffered less than might have been expected while crossing the
intervening two hundred yards of water. She was steered straight for the
schooner, and as her bowsprit ran in between the pirate's masts the
crew, who had been crouching forward, leapt down on to her deck, headed
by their commander and the two midshipmen.
The pirates, although they had suffered heavily, were still in
sufficient force to offer an efficient resistance, but their courage had
been shaken by the suddenness of the attack. They had lain down to sleep
with the assurance that the port was unknown and unsuspected, that the
batteries that guarded it could sink any hostile ship that attempted to
enter, and their dismay when these batteries were attacked and carried
by an enemy who seemed to spring out of the earth, and their only
retreat cut off, was overwhelming.
Already the heavy guns of the battery had done terrible execution. Two
of the guns on that side had been dismounted, and a third of the crew
killed; consequently, although a small portion of the number led by
their captain fought desperately, and were killed to the last man, the
majority leapt overboard at once and swam ashore. Leaving ten men in
charge of the prize, the lieutenant called all the rest back on board
the _Cerf_, which remained in the position in which she had run head on
to the schooner, and she was now able to bring her broadsides into play
upon the brigantines, the pieces forward raking them from stem to stern,
while the batteries continued their terrible fire. In a few minutes the
pirates began to take to the boats, which were lying by their sides just
as they had come off from the shore. Once begun, the movement spread
rapidly. The boats were soon crowded, and those who could not find
places in them leapt overboard.
"Take the boat and a dozen men, Mr. Curtis, and haul down the black flag
of the craft to starboard; and you, Mr. Glover, take one of the prize's
boats and do the same to the other brigantine."
They turned to execute the order when all on board the _Cerf_ were
hurled to the deck--one of the brigantines had blown up with a
tremendous explosion, that brought most of the huts on the hillside to
the ground, carried away both masts of the _Cerf_, and drove fragments
of wreckage high into the air, whence they fell partly in the pool,
partly on shore. Fortunately for the _Cerf_ only a few fragments of any
size struck her deck, the pieces for the most part falling in a wider
circle. Numbers of the pirates who had just landed from their boats were
killed, and many more were injured by being hurled down on to the
rocks, dazed and half-stunned. Those on board the _Cerf_ who had escaped
severe injury rose to their feet.
Not more than twenty-five did so. Lieutenant Playford lay dead, crushed
under a mast; Curtis had been hurled against one of the guns and his
brains dashed out; ten of the sailors had been killed either by the
falling masts or by being dashed against the bulwarks; twelve had fallen
under the enemy's fire as the _Cerf_ crossed the pool; twelve others
were hurt more or less either by the enemy's missiles or by the shock.
It was three or four minutes before the silence that followed was
broken. Then Mr. Hill hailed across the water:
"_Cerf_ ahoy! have you suffered much?"
"Terribly," Nat shouted back; "Lieutenant Playford and Mr. Curtis are
both killed. We have only twenty-five men in any way fit for service
left."
"If you have got a boat that will swim send it ashore."
Nat looked over the side, the boat had been stove by a falling fragment;
then he crossed to the prize, and found that one of the boats was
uninjured. Four men were just getting into it, when Mr. Hill hailed
again:
"Let them bring a rope with them, Mr. Glover; we will tow you over
here."
The end of a hawser was put into the boat, and the men rowed with it to
the battery.
"Mr. Glover!" the lieutenant again hailed.
"Yes, sir."
"I am sending the boat back again. I think that had they put a slow
match in the magazine of the other brigantine it would have exploded
before this. However, you had better remain where you are for a quarter
of an hour, to be sure; then, before you move, board the brigantine and
flood the magazine. Otherwise, as soon as you have left, some of these
desperadoes might swim off to her and put a match there."
"Very well, sir, I will go at once if you like."
"No, there is no use running any unnecessary risk. You had better flood
the schooner's magazine first."
"Ay, ay, sir."
Taking half a dozen hands with buckets, Nat went on board the prize and
soon flooded the magazine; then he and those who were able to help did
all they could for the wounded, several of whom, who had only been
stunned, were presently on their legs again. When the quarter of an hour
had passed he asked for volunteers. All the survivors stepped forward.
"Four men will be enough," he said. "Bring buckets with you."
It was not without a feeling of awe that Nat and the four sailors
stepped on to the deck of the brigantine, for although he was convinced
that had a match been lighted the explosion would have taken place long
before, as it was now five-and-twenty minutes since the crew had
deserted her, neither he nor the men had entirely recovered from the
severe shock of the explosion. He led the way below; all was quiet; the
door of the magazine was open, but there was no smell of burning powder,
and they entered fearlessly.
"All right, lads; now as quick as you like with your buckets."
An abundance of water was thrown in; then, to make quite certain, Nat
locked the door of the magazine, and put the key in his pocket. A cheer
broke from the men in the battery as he and his companions again took
their places in the boat and rowed to the _Cerf_. He was hailed again by
Mr. Hill.
"I have changed my mind, Mr. Glover; now that I know there is no risk of
another explosion, I think perhaps you had best remain where you are. We
will give you a pull to get you free of the schooner, then you had
better range the _Cerf_ alongside of her; keep your guns and those of
the brigantine both loaded with grape; send your boat ashore to fetch
off the wounded."
"I have two boats now, sir; one of the brigantine's was left behind, and
is uninjured."
"Then send them both ashore, the sooner we get the wounded off the
better. I am going to move forward with all my men; we have spiked the
guns here, and if they should come down into the batteries again you can
clear them out. You will, of course, help us, if we meet with strong
resistance, with your guns on the shore-side."
"Ay, ay, sir."
The two boats were sent ashore, and the wounded came off with Dr.
Bemish. As soon as they all came on board Nat said:
"I will leave you with the wounded here, doctor, with four of my men to
help you. We are so littered up that we could hardly work the guns, and
as you see, three of them were dismounted by the explosion; besides, the
prize alongside would hamper us, therefore I will take the rest of the
men on board the brigantine."
"I think that will be a very good plan, my lad," the doctor replied. "I
quite agree with you, that with the spars and wreckage on one side and
the prize on the other, you are practically helpless."
The men were at once set to work bringing up powder cartridges from the
magazine; grape and round-shot they would find on board the brigantine.
In ten minutes the guns of that craft were reloaded. The two bodies of
men from the batteries had by this time reached the storehouses. Not a
shot had been fired, but a minute later there was a loud word of
command, followed by a fierce yell, and in a moment both parties were
engaged, a heavy fire being opened upon them from every spot of vantage
on the hillside in front of them.
"Now, my lads, give them a dose of grape!" Nat shouted. "I expect they
are two to one to our fellows still. Train them carefully."
Gun after gun sent showers of grape among the hidden foe, who were for
the most part lying behind the cactus hedges of the gardens that
surrounded the huts. The three forward guns assisted Mr. Hill's party,
while the others aided that commanded by Needham. Although but four men
to a gun, the sailors worked so hard that the pieces were discharged as
rapidly as if they had been manned by a full complement, and their
effect was visible in the diminution of the enemy's fire, and by the
line of smoke gradually mounting the hill, showing that the pirates were
falling back, while the cheers of the sailors and marines as they
pressed steadily upwards, rapidly plying their muskets, rose louder and
louder. Near the upper edge of the cleared ground the pirates made a
stand, but the fire of the guns proved too much for them, and they took
to the forest. Presently a sailor ran down to the shore.
"The first lieutenant says, sir, will you please continue your fire into
the forest. He is going to cut down all the hedges and fire the huts, so
that they will have to pass over open ground if they attack again."
"Tell Mr. Hill I will do so," Nat shouted back.
It was not long after the fire had been turned in that direction before
the puffs of smoke that darted out from the edge of the forest ceased
altogether. The sailors could now be seen slashing away with their
cutlasses at the lines of cactus hedge, while the huts that still stood
were speedily in flames. Numbers of women and children now came down to
the shore, where they were placed in charge of six of the marines and a
non-commissioned officer. A quarter of an hour later, while Nat was
watching what was going on on shore, one of the men touched him.
"Look, sir, they are going down to the batteries!"
The men were at once ordered across to the guns on the other side, and
these opened with grape upon two bodies of pirates, each some seventy or
eighty strong, who were rushing down to the batteries. The discharge of
the six guns did terrible execution, but the survivors without pausing
dashed down to the works. Cries of disappointment and rage broke out
from them on finding the guns spiked, and before they could be reloaded
they ran up the hill again, and were in shelter in the forest.
"I fancy that is about the end of it," Nat said to the petty officer
standing by his side. "I don't think that above fifty of either party
got safely away."
"Not more than that, sir. I expect it has taken the fight out of them."
"It was a hopeless attempt, for although, if the guns had been loaded,
they might have sunk us, our fellows on shore would soon have been upon
them again, and it would have come to the same thing."
"Yes, sir, the same thing to the pirates, but not the same thing to us."
"No, you are right there; those twenty-four guns loaded with ball would
have sent us to the bottom in no time. You see, our men only used grape
before, and aimed at the decks."
Mr. Hill now hailed from the shore again:
"Mr. Glover!"
"Ay, ay, sir!"
"Have the goodness to send your boat ashore, I want to send a note off
to the captain. On their way the men must stop at the boats on the other
side of the island, and tell the boat keepers to bring them round here
at once."
Four men were sent ashore in the boat, and one of the petty officers
took his place in the stern, with a hasty note which the first
lieutenant had written in pencil stating that the loss had been very
heavy, that the work of rooting out the pirates had not yet been
completed, and that he should be glad of some more men to occupy the
village while he searched the woods. The boat started at once, and
twenty minutes later the captain's gig shot into the cove. As soon as
the report of the first gun was heard on board the frigate, and there
was no longer any motive for remaining at a distance, her head had been
turned to the island, and the boat had met her but half a mile away from
the entrance.
After reading the note, Captain Crosbie sent one of the gigs to order
the boats round to the inlet, and proceeded in his own boat to
investigate the state of affairs, ordering the _Cerf's_ boat to row
ahead of the frigate, which was to work in under very reduced sail,
sounding as she went, and was, if the water was deep enough, to anchor
off the mouth of the cove.
"Then you found all the pirates here, Mr. Hill?" the captain said as he
landed.
"Yes, sir, but they blew up one of their craft when they left her."
"Yes, of course we heard the report; it shook the frigate as if she had
struck on a rock. It must have been tremendous here."
"Yes, sir, she must have had an immense deal of powder in her magazine;
the shock was something terrible. Although we were over there in that
battery, every one of us was thrown to the ground and several were
killed. Two of the guns were dismounted."
"It was a veritable battle for a time, Mr. Hill. It sounded like a naval
engagement on a large scale."
"Yes, we had twenty-four guns in the batteries all at work, and the guns
of the _Cerf_, while the three pirates had the same number in their
broadsides, besides two heavy swivel-guns."
"You say the loss is heavy. What does it amount to?"
"I cannot tell you exactly, sir. There were twenty-five killed on board
the _Cerf_, in addition to Mr. Playford and Mr. Curtis. The two officers
and about half the men were, Mr. Glover reported, killed by the
explosion, which, as you see, dismasted her."
"Dear me! That is heavy indeed, and I most deeply regret the death of
the two officers."
"So do I indeed, sir. Mr. Playford was an excellent officer, and as good
a fellow as ever walked. Mr. Curtis would have made, I am sure, a good
officer in time. I hardly thought he would when he first joined, but he
was improving greatly, and he showed great courage in working to remove
the boom under a very heavy fire from the pirates, which sunk his boat
under him."
"Your division, Mr. Hill--what are your casualties?"
"We took the batteries almost without loss, sir, but in the duel with
the pirates we lost in the two batteries fourteen killed; nine more were
killed by the explosion; we sent eighteen off to the _Cerf_ all
seriously wounded; as to contusions and minor hurts, I should say that
there is not a man who escaped them."
"Well, well, that is a heavy bill indeed; forty-eight men killed and two
officers--why, we should probably have lost less in an action against a
frigate of our own size! However, we have destroyed this nest of
pirates, and have captured three of their four ships, the other is blown
up. Now, what is the state of things here?"
"There are, I believe, some hundred and fifty or two hundred of the
pirates still on the island. They are divided into two parties, and the
last firing you heard was when they rushed down into the batteries,
thinking, no doubt, to take revenge by sinking the brigantine and the
two prizes. Mr. Glover opened fire upon them with grape with great
effect. When they got into the battery they found that I had spiked the
guns, which I did when I left them, thinking they might make just such a
move. I sent off to you, sir, in order that the storehouses and
buildings might be held while we cleared the wood on one side down to
the mouth of the cove. When we have done that we can do the same on the
other side."
"Did you have any casualties in taking the village?"
"Several wounded, sir, none killed. Mr. Glover drove them out with
grape, and so rendered our work comparatively easy. I am sorry to say
that almost the last shot fired by them hit Mr. Needham high up in the
left arm. The doctor came ashore a few minutes ago, after attending to
the wounded sent on board the _Cerf_. He examined the arm, and tells me
that the bone is completely smashed, and that he must amputate it
half-way between the elbow and shoulder."
"That is bad indeed. However, it is better than if it had been his right
arm. Mr. Harpur," said the captain to the midshipman who had come ashore
with him, "take the gig off and meet the boats. Tell the launch and
pinnace to go alongside the frigate, and request Mr. Normandy to send
Mr. Marston ashore with fifty more men. What on earth are we to do with
these poor creatures?" he went on to the first lieutenant as the gig
rowed away. "Of course we must take them to Jamaica. Theirs is a
terrible position. No doubt they have all been captured in the prizes
the villains have taken, and most of them must have seen their husbands
or fathers murdered before their eyes. Some of them may have been here
long enough to become accustomed to their lot, many of them may have
been captured lately. What is to become of them I don't know.
"You have not opened any of the storehouses yet?"
"No, sir, we have been pretty busy, you see. We cut down all the cactus
hedges round the huts high up on the hill, so as to keep the pirates
from working down and making a fresh attack upon us. As to the other
houses, I have given strict orders that no one is to enter them. The men
have piled arms and are lying down by them; many of them have not
completely recovered from the shock of the explosion, and all are
bruised more or less by being hurled on to the rocks or against the
guns. I fancy the doctor will have his hands full for many a day."
"Well, you must pick out twenty or so from those most fit for duty. They
can join the men I sent for and finish the business. The rest can be on
guard here, in case the party on the other side take it into their heads
to make an attack."