him.

"We must at all hazards," he said after a few minutes thought, "prevent
them from storing these barrels below. Remove the barricade of bodies
and then carry the door down the stairs. We must fix it again on the
bottom steps. The bottom stair is but a foot or two inside the doorway;
if you place it there it will hinder their rushing up to attack you, and
your pikes, as you stand above it, will prevent any from placing their
barrels inside.

"I will take my place at the loophole as before. We cannot prevent their
crawling round from behind as they did to light the faggots; but if they
pile them outside, they may blow in a hole in the wall of the tower, but
it is possible that even then it may not fall. Two will be sufficient to
hold the stairs, at any rate for the present. Do you, Cameron, take
your place on the tower, and drop stones over on any who may try to make
their way round from behind; even if you do no harm you will make them
careful and delay the operation, and every hour now is of consequence."

Malcolm's instructions were carried out, and all was in readiness
before the peasants, some of whom had to go considerable distances, had
returned with the powder.

The lesson of the previous evening had evidently not been lost upon the
peasants, for Malcolm saw a tall man who was acting as their leader wave
his hand, and those who had brought the powder started to make a detour
round the church. Malcolm, finding that no movement was being made
towards the front, and that at present he could do nothing from his
loophole, ran up to the top of the tower and took his place by the
soldier who was lying down on the roof and looking over the edge.

Presently the first of the peasants appeared round the corner of the
main building, and dashed rapidly across to the angle of the tower. Two
heavy stones were dropped, but he had passed on long before they had
reached the bottom. Man after man followed, and Malcolm, seeing that he
could do nothing to stop them, again ran down. As he did so he heard a
scream of agony. The leading peasants had reached the doorway, but as
they dashed in to place their barrels of powder they were run through
and through by the spears of the pikemen. They fell half in and half out
of the doorway, and the barrels rolled some distance away. Those behind
them stopped panic stricken at their sudden fall. Several of them
dropped their barrels and fled, while others ran round the angle of the
tow