iver of the chain, for he seems a man of much more craft and
intelligence than that huge, laughing animal farther up the river. I
should have ordered the captain to tie up against the eastern bank, and
then sent some men in a small boat to learn if the way was clear. No,
Ebearhard, I blame myself for this muddle, and, through anxiety to pass
the Pfalz, I have landed myself and my men within its walls. I must pace
this courtyard for a time, and ponder what next to do. Go you,
Ebearhard, with the men to the door. Allow no talking or noise. Listen
intently, and report to me if you hear anything. You see, Ebearhard, the
devil of it is that Stahleck, like his cousin with Cologne, swears
allegiance to the Archbishop of Mayence, and here am I, after destroying
the fief of one Archbishop, securely snared in the fief of another. I
fear their Lordships' next meeting with me will not pass off so amicably
as did the last."

"_Next_ meeting?" cried Ebearhard in astonishment; "have you ever met
the Archbishops?"

Roland gasped, realizing that his absorption in one subject had nearly
caused him to betray his momentous secret.

"Ah, I remember," continued Ebearhard. "It was on account of the
Archbishop's presence in Bonn that you returned from that town when
first you journeyed up the Rhine."

"Yes," said Roland, with relief.

"It seems to me," went on Ebearhard consolingly, "that even if we may
not leave the Castle, at least the Pfalzgraf cannot penetrate into the
stronghold, therefore we are safe enough."

"Not so, Ebearhard," replied his chief. "The Pfalzgraf has the barge,
remember, and it can carry his whole force to Caub or elsewhere,
returning with ample provisions and siege instruments that will batter
in the door despite all we can do. Nevertheless, let us keep up our
hearts. Get you to the gate, Ebearhard. I must have time to think before
Greusel returns."

Alone, with bent head, he paced back and forwards across the courtyard
under the wavering light of the torches. Very speedily he concluded that
no plan could be formed until Greusel made his report regarding the
intricacies of the Castle.

"My luck is against me! My luck is against me!" he said aloud to
himself, as if the sound of his own voice might suggest some way out of
the difficulty.

"Luck always turns against a thief and a marauder," said a sweet and
clear voice behind him; "and how can it be otherwise, when the
gallows-tree stands at the end of his jou