men you take know their business; and
see you perform yours!' he says, with a scowl. `I and the rest of the
troop will be ready to storm the place as soon as we see the flames. Go
now, lose no time; and, hark you, there is no quarter to-night for
traitors!'

"This last remark may have been meant for the captain, who knew that, at
heart, he was a traitor to the Parliament that night; or it may have
been meant for the inmates of the castle. Anyway, it sounded ugly
enough, and it was all Morgan could do to hold his peace and make no
reply.

"He found the six men waiting for him without, and in the darkness they
crept stealthily round to the edge of the cliff, where a narrow ledge
led down to the end of the cave.

"It was a perilous step down, especially to those unaccustomed to the
way. But the spot had been carefully marked in the daytime, and
presently the little band all stood there at the entrance. Morgan in
his secret heart wished some sentinel of the besieged might have
perceived them, and so given an alarm. But no; such was the security
Fulke felt in the secrecy of his cave that it never entered his head to
guard it.

"The men entered one by one, with a man carrying a light in front. The
passage was too narrow to allow of two abreast, and too low for any one
to stand upright in it. So, single file, on hands and knees, they
crawled forward.

"At last, when they had gone some way, and the sound of the sea grew
faint in the distance, Morgan halted his men.

"`Give me the light,' says he, `and stay here while I go forward and see
how the passage ends.'

"He crawled forward to the front of the file and took the torch from the
hands of the foremost man. But when he began to move forward he noticed
that two of the band followed him at a short distance.

"`Did I not order you to remain with the rest?' demands he, angrily.

"`Pardon, captain. The colonel bade us keep close to you,' says one of
the men, sourly.

"Morgan's blood ran cold in his veins, and his last hope of giving a
friendly warning to those in the castle vanished. However, it was no
time to quarrel, and he answered, with a forced laugh, `The colonel
flatters me by his attention. But, as he is anxious for my welfare,
come on, my men, and keep your eyes on me.'

"The three went forward, till the cave became so narrow that they could
scarcely drag themselves farther. In one place a little chink in the
roof let in a faint ray of moonligh