FROM BLOM1DON TO SMOKY. 11 



and chatted with their commanding officer. Sud- 

 denly the twelve o'clock gun was fired from the 

 citadel above us. The general started visibly, 

 but almost at the same moment his betrayal of 

 nervousness was covered by the band, which 

 struck up " Ta-ra-ra, boom de ay," putting spring 

 into the soldiers' heels, and broad grins upon the 

 spectators' faces. 



The next day, after a little patient pulling of 

 red tape, I gained admission to the great citadel 

 of Halifax, popularly supposed to be the key to 

 its defenses. The works were in poor repair ; 

 the guns in sight were old in style, and not of a 

 calibre to alarm an enemy's ships in the outer 

 harbor ; but the equipment was amply sufficient 

 to keep Halifax itself in order, or to deal effect- 

 ively with an insurgent army attempting to ap- 

 proach the city. Against the attack of a strong 

 foreign enemy the citadel would be of use mainly 

 as a refuge for the women and children of Hali- 

 fax. The real defenses of the city are earth- 

 works in or near the harbor, and an elaborate 

 system of mines and torpedoes underlying the 

 channel. 



The citadel has one unquestioned merit which 

 all the world, red or blue, can enjoy : it gives 

 from its ramparts, or from the open grassy slopes 

 just outside the bastions, an excellent view of 

 Halifax and all its picturesque surroundings. 



