Among the Brigands Part 26

At last he gave up in despair, and rising up he sat on the side of the bed, with his feet dangling down, and looked around.

The moon had risen, and was s.h.i.+ning into the room. By its light he could see the outline of the beds. Around him there ascended a choral harmony composed of snores of every degree, reaching from the mild, mellow intonation of Clive, down to the deep, hoa.r.s.e, sepulchral drone of Uncle Moses. In spite of his vexation about his wakefulness, a smile pa.s.sed over Bob's face, as he listened to those astonis.h.i.+ng voices of the night.

Suddenly a sound caught his ears, which at once attracted his attention, and turned all his thoughts in another direction.

It was the sound of footsteps immediately in front of the house, and apparently at the doorway. How much time had pa.s.sed he did not know; but he felt sure that it must be at least midnight. He now perceived that there were some in the house who had not gone to bed. The footsteps were shuffling and irregular, as though some people were trying to walk without making a noise. The sound attracted Bob, and greatly excited him.

In addition to the footsteps there were other sounds. There were the low murmurs of voices in a subdued tone, and he judged that there must be at least a half a dozen who were thus talking. To this noise Bob sat listening for some time. It remained in the same place, and of course he could make nothing out of it; but it served to reawaken all the fears of brigands which had been aroused before they went to bed.

At length he heard a movement from below. The movement was along the ball. It was a shuffling movement, as of men walking with the endeavor not to make a noise.

Bob listened.

His excitement increased.

At last he heard the sounds more plainly.

They were evidently at the foot of the stairway.

Bob listened in increasing excitement.

Then there came a creaking sound. It was from the stairway. They were ascending it.

He thought of waking Frank, but decided to wait.

The sounds draw nearer. There must have been six or seven men upon the stairway, and they were walking up. What for?

He had no doubt what it was for, and he waited, knowing that they were coming to this room in which he was.

They tried to walk softly. There were low whispers once or twice, which ceased as they drew nearer.

Nearer and nearer!

At last Bob knew that they were outside of the door, and as he sat on the bed, he knew that there could not be more than a yard of distance Between himself and those b.l.o.o.d.y-minded, beetle-browed, ruthless, demoniac, and fiendish brigands.

His blood ran cold in his veins at the very thought.

He did not dare to move. He sat rigid, with every sense on the alert, his eyes fixed on the door, listening.

Then came a slight creaking sound--the sound of a pressure against the door, which yielded slightly, but was prevented by the heavy bed from being opened at all. It was an unmistakable sound. They were trying to open the door. They were also trying to do it as noiselessly as possible. Evidently they thought that their victims were all asleep, and they wished to come in noiselessly, so as to accomplish their fearful errand.

For a moment it seemed to Bob as though the bed was being pushed back. The thought gave him anguish inexpressible, but he soon found that it was not so. Then he expected a savage push at the door from the baffled brigands. He thought that they would drop all attempts at secrecy, and begin an open attack.

But they did not do so.

There were whispers outside the door. Evidently they were deliberating. They were unwilling, as yet, to resort to noisy violence. They wished to effect their full purpose in secret and in silence. Such were Bob's thoughts, which thoughts were strengthened as he heard them slowly move away, and descend the stairs, with the same carefulness, and the same shuffling sound, with which they had ascended.

"They are going to try the windows," thought Bob.

And now as this thought came to him, he could restrain himself no longer. It was no time for sleep. He determined to rouse the others.

He laid his hand on Frank's forehead, and shook his bead. Then, bending down dose to him, he hissed in his ear,--

"Wake! wake! Brigands! Don't speak! don't speak! silence!"

Frank was a light sleeper, and a quick-witted lad, who always retained his presence of mind. At Bob's cry he became wide awake, and without a single word sat up in bed and listened. All was still.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Bob told Him all in a few words.

Upon this Frank got up, stole noiselessly to the window on tiptoe, and listened. Bob followed. As they stood close to the window, they heard the sound of murmuring voices immediately beneath.

Several of the panes of gla.s.s were out of this window, so that the voices were perfectly audible; though of course their ignorance of the language prevented them from understanding what was said.

As they listened, there arose a movement among them. The voices grew louder. The men were evidently walking out of the house. The listeners heard the sound of their footsteps on the ground as they walked away, and at a little distance off they noticed that the voices became more free and unrestrained.

"They'll be back again," said Frank.

"Let's wake the others," said Bob.

Upon this suggestion they both proceeded at once to act, waking them carefully, and cautioning them against making any noise. The cautions against noise were so earnest, that not a word was spoken above a whisper; but Clive and David, and finally Uncle Moses, stepped out upon the floor, and the whole party proceeded to put their heads together.

"I've got a chair," said Clive.

"I've got a knife," said Frank.

"I've got a chair," said Bob.

"I've got a knife," said David.

"An I've got my razor, which I shoved under my pillow," said Uncle Moses; "an so let em come on. But where are they now?"

"H-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-h!" Said Frank.

All were silent, and listened. There came out from without the sound of footsteps approaching the house, and of low voices.

"They're coming back again," said Bob.

The rest listened.

Frank stole to the window and looked cautiously out.

By the moonlight he saw plainly the figures of four men. They were coming from the road to the house, and they were carrying a ladder.

The ladder was very long. The sight sent a shudder through him. He had thought of the windows as being out of the reach of danger; the idea of a ladder had never entered his head at all. Yet he now saw that this-was one of the most simple and natural plans which could be adopted by the brigands.

He came back and told the others. All felt the same dismay which Frank had felt. None of them said a word, but they all stole up to the window, and looking out they saw for themselves.

The brigands approached the house, carrying the ladder; and on reaching it, they put their load on the ground, and rested for a short time. As they did so, the boys noticed that they all looked up at the upper windows of the house.