The Young Castellan Part 56

He was nearly right to a man. There were, including their officers, twelve men penned up in the big stone chamber, where they had plenty of arms and ammunition. The others had their quarters in the five chambers in the towers, and were stationed as sentinels. All these had been accounted for, save the wounded men in hospital.

And as Roy listened to the hurrying tramp of feet, there was gathering silence on the ramparts, while around him, in the court-yard, hundreds of men were united and drawn up in line.

Then, in the darkness beneath the gate-way, Roy heard a commanding voice call upon the men in the guard-room to surrender.

"What?" came out clearly in a harsh, snarling voice, which Roy hardly knew as Ben's. "Do what?"

"Surrender, my man! The place is taken."

"Yes, by cowardly treachery, Ben," yelled Roy, desperately. "Don't give in. Fight to the last."

A man came hurrying up, and the secretary, fierce with pa.s.sion, stood before him.

"If this boy dares to speak another word, ram a gag in his mouth.--No, not yet.--Here, bring him up to the gate."

Roy was half pushed and dragged to the great archway, and, as he reached it, the clock chimed the quarter after midnight.

"Now, general," cried Pawson, "we'll have them out. It's not worth while to waste good men's lives to tear a set of mad rats out of their hole."

"Well, get them out," said the same commanding voice, and in the officer a short distance from him, Roy recognised the one he had met with the flag of truce.

"Now, then, if you value your life," snarled Pawson in the boy's ear, "order those fools to come out before we blow them to pieces with a keg of powder. Do you hear? Come forward and speak!"

Roy felt a fierce desire to spit in the traitor's face, but he mastered himself and stepped forward.

"Ah, you've come to your senses, then," said Pawson. "Lucky for you, my popinjay. Now, then, tell them to surrender."

"Why?" said Roy, spitefully. "They don't know what it means."

"Speak!" cried Pawson; and he p.r.i.c.ked the lad with the point of his sword.

Roy in those terrible moments had to fight hard to be dignified, as he felt he ought to be, before the enemy; but the desire was strong upon him, when he felt a slight p.r.i.c.k in the side from the keen point of the sword, to turn round and kick his aggressor with all his might.

Then he spoke.

"Sergeant Martlet, corporal, Farmer Raynes, all of you, I'm a prisoner, and can't help myself. There are two or three hundred men here. Can you hear me?"

"Ay, ay, sir; go on," cried Ben.

"They bid me tell you to surrender. What do you say?"

"Let 'em come and make us. G.o.d save her ladys.h.i.+p and the king!"

"Hurrah!" came rolling back from nearly a dozen l.u.s.ty throats, and was followed by a shout from Ben.

"Get back, Master Roy; we're going to fire."

"Then fire," cried Roy. "Never mind me now."

Another cheer followed this; and there was a rattling noise which Roy interpreted, for he knew that the men in the guard-room had seized the pikes from the rack, and that a bristling hedge of steel was being formed in the door-way.

Just then the officer in command stepped forward.

"Silence there!" he cried, in a loud clear voice. "Listen to me, my men. The castle is taken, and I have four hundred men here. You are the only defenders left.--Sergeant Martlet, I suppose you are an old soldier, and if so, you know this boy's words are madness. Enough men have perished, and I should be sorry to add your party to those who have made so brave a defence. Come, you have all done your duty, and your case is hopeless; surrender, and you shall suffer no harm."

"When my captain tells me--not before."

"Well spoken, and like a brave man," said the officer; and he turned to Roy.

"Now, captain," he said, and there was a touch of sarcasm in his voice, "you don't want those stout fellows shot down, or smothered like rats in their holes. Tell them to give up their arms and come out."

"To a set of cowards who attacked us as you did with the help of that treacherous dog!" cried Roy, pa.s.sionately. "No!"

"Hurrah!" was shouted from the guard-room door and Farmer Raynes roared out:

"Well said, Master Roy; we'll beat 'em yet."

"Take that boy away," cried the officer; and Roy was dragged to one side, where he heard the speaker again bid the party surrender; but only received a shout of defiance in reply.

A few short, sharp orders followed; and Roy quivered with pa.s.sion as he saw from the brightening sparks that a party of men who tramped forward were blowing the matches of their firelocks.

An order followed, and a ragged volley was fired in at the door, which was answered by a cheer, and directly after by half-a-dozen shots and some confusion among the attacking party, for two men staggered back and fell groaning upon the stones.

The officer stamped his foot.

"Pikes and swords," he cried; and in obedience to his orders a little column of a score of men dashed forward and tried to enter, thrusting in their pikes; and as many as could get to the door striving desperately, but only to be beaten back, and their discomfiture increased by a few more shots.

The attack was resumed with fresh men again and again, but the defenders fought desperately, and in every case the attacking party were driven back with several men badly wounded.

"Block the place up and starve them out," said Pawson.

"No," said the officer sternly. "The work must be done at once.

Powder," he cried to a couple of men near him, and a party marched off.

After a short delay, during which Roy looked vainly round for the secretary, the latter appeared again with the men, one of whom bore a keg. To this a piece of fuse was attached ready for lighting, and the officer walked to Roy's side.

"Look here, youngster," he said. "I shall stand at nothing to complete the reduction of this nest. You see that keg of powder. If these men do not surrender at once, I shall treat them as desperate vermin and blast them out or bury them, with perhaps half the tower upon their heads. It rests with you whether I shall kill a dozen or so of brave men or spare them. Which is it to be?"

Roy was silent.

"Come," said the officer, "I want to be merciful now. You are Sir Granby Royland's son. He is a brave soldier, though mistaken in defending a tyrant. I tell you that when a cause is hopeless he would act as I ask you to do. Now you have well proved your courage, and you spoke before in the rage of defeat. Speak now as a brave officer who would not willingly sacrifice his men. What do you say?"

Roy said nothing, for his heart swelled with emotion, and the words would not come. The officer came closer, so that none other could hear.

"In G.o.d's name, boy," he whispered, "don't force me to do this brutal act; I ask you as the son of a brave soldier. Tell them to surrender now."

The way in which these words came to Roy's ear achieved that which no threats or insult would have done. It was an enemy speaking, but something told him that he was a brave soldier too; and without another word Roy stepped up to the door-way, from whence a mistaken shot might have laid him low.

The officer grasped this, and shouted loudly--