REPELLING A SIEGE. 17 



was made in the very centre of the college quad, 

 and the poker placed upright therein. Then, with 

 the mallet laid upon the top, in order to deaden the 

 sound, it was driven deeply down by repeated blows of 

 the hammer, until even the head was fully eighteen 

 inches below the surface. Then the hole was carefully 

 filled in, and the operators went off to bed. But no 

 one ever applied for the poker, and nothing was ever 

 heard of the clever joker who had laid his plans so 

 carefully and so well. 



On another occasion a siege was laid against my 

 father's own rooms, which were quite at the top of the 

 college, and approached only by a narrow and tortuous 

 staircase. From an anonymous quarter, however, he 

 received previous notice of the intended attack, and 

 made all his preparations accordingly. First he laid in 

 a large stock of grey peas, and a few long glass tubes, 

 with a bore sufficiently large to carry them. Then he 

 opened both the windows, so as to expose only half the 

 surface of glass, protected that as well as possible, and 

 finally procured a large " demi-john," filled it with water, 

 and placed it at the head of the stairs ; and then he sat 

 down to read. 



About twelve o'clock sundry whisperings in the 

 quad warned him that the attack was about to begin ; 

 so he put out his lamp and waited. Next moment came 

 a volley of stones, which were repelled by his fortifica- 

 tions ; and then he set to work with his pea-shooters. 

 A little preliminary practice had made him a fairly 

 expert marksman, and as soon as an assailant showed 

 c 



