Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/219

Rh rogue such as Luke. Cheer up, man! The besiegers have gained no more than they might under better leadership have gained long since—no more than you expected would fall into their hands. And, thanks to our young chieftain's battle-ax, Count de Ferrers is more likely to be upon a camp-bed than upon horseback for some hours to come. All this is raking in the embers of past events. We still hold all the main buildings of the castle, and, as you well know, the task of these invading villains becomes more dangerous to them, as well as to us, now that we fight at closer range, and with the advantage of holding the higher places. What say you, Lord Edgar—shall we consider the outer walls lost, and destroy them, so far as may be?"

"I know," the young commander replied, "that you have undermined a part of the two walls on the west and south, so as to cut them off from the rest of the castle. But will not the southwest tower be left in the hands of the enemy, if we should now abandon it? Have you arranged to destroy that also?"

"My lord," Hugh replied, "we have stored the lowest rooms with loose heaps of faggots soaked well with pitch. If a torch be set to them, the tower will fall within an hour."

"Is there any hope," Edgar demanded, "that