Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/105

Rh to bear on the walls?" Edgar demanded impatiently.

"What else can be done?" asked the Friar, as cool as if he were playing a game of chess. "The Count has a rabble of followers. Unless he can show them some way of taking the castle soon, they will begin to desert, and he will have to give up the siege. Meanwhile, have you kept up a vigilant watch on the river-side of the works? I think that he will make some attempts to attack us in the rear, if that is possible." " There is little chance of a rear attack," Edgar replied. "My father said that we need fear no serious assault there. The rocks are precipitous, and there is but one narrow path leading down to the water. When I was younger, I used now and then to make my way down to the river; but it was hard and dangerous. I do not think they will try it."

"Still," the Friar insisted, "that path should be watched, especially at night. Can you not spare a few men to set a guard there? I can make you a composition that will burn brightly and give plenty of light in case there should come an alarm from that quarter. If you instruct the sentries to keep ready a few bundles of faggots soaked with this composition, on the first alarm it would be easy to set fire to a few of these and fling them over. Then, having a light by which to aim, two