A month passed quietly. Every day, a soldier carrying wine and
provisions rode to the hut that had been built, on the crest of the
hill three miles away.

Eight o'clock one evening, towards the end of January, the alarm
bell rang from the lookout tower. Philip and his cousin ran up.

"There is the beacon alight at the hut, count," the lookout said.

"Light this bonfire then, Jules, and keep the alarm bell going.

"To horse, men!" he cried, looking over the parapet. "Bring out our
horses with your own."

The men had been previously told off in twos and threes to the
various farmhouses, to aid in driving in the cattle and, as soon as
they were mounted, each party dashed off to its destination. From
the watchtower four or five fires could be seen blazing in the
distance, showing that the lookouts had everywhere been vigilant,
and that the news had already been carried far and wide.

Francois and Philip rode up to the hut on the hill.

"There is no mistake, I hope," Francois said as, a quarter of a
mile before they reached it, they met the three men-at-arms coming
down.

"No, count, it was exactly in a line with the two stakes and, I
should think, about the distance away that you told us the tower
was. It has died down now."

The beacon fire near the hut had been placed fifty yards below the
crest of the hill, so that its flame should not be seen from the
other side. This had been at Philip's suggestion.

"If it is put where they can see it," he said, "they will feel sure
that it is in answer to that fire behind them, and will ride at
full speed, so as to get here before the news spreads. If they see
no answering fire, they may suppose that the first was but an
accident. They may even halt at the village, and send off some men
to see what has caused the fire; or if they ride straight through,
they will be at some little distance before Simon has got to the
fire and lighted it, and may not care to waste time sending back.
At any rate, it is better that they should see no flame up here."

They had often talked the matter over, and had agreed that, even if
the column was composed only of cavalry, it would be from an hour
and a half to two hours before it arrived at the chateau, as it
would doubtless have performed a long journey; while if there were
infantry with them, they would take double that time.

Directly an alarm had been given, two of the youngest and most
active of the men-at-arms had set off, to t