Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/43

Rh small village at the foot of the hill and many of the soldiers had families who lived in its little huts. Harvest time had come, and the grain was so abundant that every hand was employed in getting it into the barns, and there were many merry-makings because the crop was so plentiful.

It was a fortunate circumstance that the preparations for the siege had been made early, for by the time that Guy de Ferrers had learned of the departure of Francis Mortimer, and had sent some of his people to spy out the land, the bulk of the preparations had been finished, and there was no sign of vigorous work about the "Castle of the Red Lion," as Mortimer's stronghold was called by the country people.

So these spies reported that the Mortimers seemed to have no suspicion any attack was contemplated, and were engaged in harvesting the crops of grain, and in hawking, fishing, and out-door sports.

Misled by these reports, Ferrers concluded that the castle would not be able to support a long siege, or at least that it would not be well supplied with means of defense. Indeed, he thought that a sudden attack might succeed without a regular siege, and he was more than once tempted to call together his men-at-arms to try the effect of a dash upon the Mortimers. Probably he would