t facing the drawbridge the ten English soldiers
who had been out on leave for the day were already assembled.

"Are you all there?" the warder asked.

"Yes," Archie said, "but I shall have to make another two trips
down to the boat, seeing that I have ten baskets full and but four
men to carry them."

"Then you must bring another load," the warder said, "when the
drawbridge is lowered tomorrow. You will have to stop in the castle
tonight, and issue out at eleven tomorrow, for the governor will
not have the drawbridge lowered more than twice a day."

"I would fain return to my boat," Archie said, "as I want to be at
work on the repairs; but if that be the rule I must needs submit
to it."

The drawbridge was now lowered. The soldiers at once stepped on to
it. The four pretended fishermen had set down their baskets, and
now raised them on their shoulders again. One of them apparently
found it a difficult task, for it was not until Archie and his
comrades were half across the drawbridge that he raised it from
the ground. As he did so he stumbled and fell, the basket and its
contents rolling on to the ground.

"You must wait until the morning," the warder called; "you are too
late to enter now."

The man lay for a moment where he had fallen, which was half on the
drawbridge, half on the ground beyond it. "Now, then," the warder
called sharply, "make haste; I am going to raise the drawbridge."

The man rose to his feet with a shout just as the drawbridge began
to rise. He had not been idle as he lay. As he fell he had drawn
from underneath his fisherman's frock a stout chain with a hook
at one end and a large ring at the other. This he had passed round
one of the chains by which the drawbridge was raised, then under
the beam on which it rested when down, and had fastened the hook
in the ring.

Surprised at the shout, the warder worked the windlass with extra
speed, but he had scarcely given a turn when he found a sudden
resistance. The chain which the fisherman had fixed round the end
prevented the bridge from rising. As the man had shouted, Archie
and his three comrades were entering the gate. Simultaneously they
emptied their baskets before them. Concealed among the fish were
four logs of wood; two were three feet long, the full depth of the
baskets, two were short wedge shaped pieces. Before the soldiers
in front had time even to turn round, the two long pieces were
placed upright in the grooves down wh