patience; for otherwise I might have blundered full upon the
sentries, and been shot without more ado. As it was, I had barely time
to draw back, as I turned a corner upon them; and if their lantern had
been in its place, they could scarce have failed to descry me, unless
indeed I had seen the gleam before I turned the corner.

There seemed to be only two of them, of size indeed and stature as all
the Doones must be; but I need not have feared to encounter them both,
had they been unarmed, as I was. It was plain, however, that each had a
long and heavy carbine, not in his hands (as it should have been), but
standing close beside him. Therefore it behooved me now to be exceeding
careful; and even that might scarce avail, without luck in proportion.
So I kept well back at the corner, and laid one cheek to the rock face,
and kept my outer eye round the jut in the wariest mode I could compass,
watching my opportunity; and this is what I saw:

The two villains looked very happy--which villains have no right to be,
but often are, meseemeth; they were sitting in a niche of rock, with the
lantern in the corner, quaffing something from glass measures, and
playing at pushpin, or shepherd's chess, or basset, or some trivial game
of that sort. Each was smoking a long clay pipe, quite of new London
shape, I could see, for the shadow was thrown out clearly; and each
would laugh from time to time as he fancied he got the better of it. One
was sitting with his knees up, and left hand on his thigh; and this one
had his back to me, and seemed to be the stouter. The other leaned more
against the rock, half sitting and half astraddle, and wearing leathern
overalls, as if newly come from riding. I could see his face quite
clearly by the light of the open lantern, and a handsomer or a bolder
face I had seldom if ever set eyes upon; insomuch that it made me very
unhappy to think of his being so near my Lorna.

"How long am I to stay crouching here?" I asked of myself at last, being
tired of hearing them cry, "Score one," "Score two," "No, by ----,
Charlie!" "By ----, I say it is, Phelps."

And yet my only chance of slipping by them unperceived was to wait till
they quarreled more, and came to blows about it. Presently, as I made up
my mind to steal along towards them (for the cavern was pretty wide just
there), Charlie, or Charleworth Doone, the younger and taller man,
reached forth his hand to seize the money, which he swore he had won
t