this time Fieldsend and Fairburn had begun their life-long friendship.
Away in front of them towered the huge irregular mass called the Rock
of Gibraltar, or, more commonly, simply "the Rock," with the little
town clustered at its base and on its gentler slopes. To their right
was the indentation in the coast known as the Bay of Gibraltar, which
was protected by a long stone-built jetty, the Old Mole. From this
protection ran a stout sea defence called the Line Wall, with two or
three strong bastions. This wall ended at another projection, the New
Mole. But neither the Line Wall nor the New Mole was visible from the
spot where George and his superior stood. Filling all the narrow neck
of connecting ground were the allied forces just landed, five thousand
of them. Immediately in front stood the only outlet from the city on
its north side, the Land Point gate.

"I wish they would settle the thing, and either let us get to work or
else re-embark for home," George said, as he sat in what shade he
could find to defend himself against the fierce blaze of the sun.

"I am with you there, Fairburn," the lieutenant agreed, with a yawn.

The speakers were alluding to the answer that was expected at any
moment from the garrison within. A formal demand had been made to the
Governor for the surrender of the fortress to the Archduke Charles,
"the rightful King of Spain." This was on the twenty-first of July,
1704. The demand had been made on the part of the Allies by the Prince
of Hesse-Darmstadt, who was present with three Dutch admirals and
several Dutch ships. The English admirals concerned in the siege were,
besides Sir George Rooke, the chief of them, Byng, Sir Cloudesley
Shovel, and Leake. Many famous ships were in the Bay or rode off the
Rock, including Rooke's own vessel, the _Royal Catherine_, and