eight
o'clock
The siege had been resumed on the 5th of that month , and on the 23d the batteries had opened fire in earnest , and immense damage was done to the defenses and garrison . But upon this occasion , as upon the former one , the proper precautions were not taken ; no lodgment had been effected in the horn-work , and , worst of all , the blockade had been so negligently conducted by the fleet , that large bodies of fresh troops , guns , and ammunition had been passed in , and the defense was even stronger than it had been when the first assault was delivered . General Graham took up his position on the heights of the Chofres to view the assault , and the Scudamores stationed themselves near him . A dense mist hid the fortress from view , and it was not until eight o'clock that the batteries were able to open . Then for three hours they poured a storm of shot and shell upon the defences . The Scudamores sat down in one of the trenches , where they were a little sheltered from the blazing heat of the sun , and Sam took his place at a short distance from them . As the clock struck eleven the fire slackened , and at that moment Sam exclaimed , `` Grolly , Massa Tom , dere dey go . ''