Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/187

Rh more evident attacks, a half-dozen men who had been hidden the night before in the underbrush near the bank of the river, pushed a light raft out into the river and poled it along as noiselessly as they could until they had come to the foot of the steep path Luke had described to them.

It was true that a guard had been always kept on the wall above this precipitous wall of rock, but since no attempt had been made to climb up its face, the sentinel had become careless. When all the force of the castle was summoned, this sentinel believed that he might go as far as the top of the keep, reasoning that he could watch the rear wall from there, while at the same time he would be within view of the battle with the tower.

His reasoning was sound enough. He could have watched both. But unfortunately, he became so absorbed in the threatening aspect of the lofty siege-tower that he quite forgot to turn his head, to say nothing of remaining on the west of the keep, whence alone he could properly guard the rear wall. But Amabel Manners also was upon the keep, and seeing the sentinel, was aware that the man was not at his post of duty. Not knowing whether he had permission to leave his station, she did not speak to the soldier, but went herself to the northwest corner of the great keep,