which supported a stout, new
flag-pole, he was now on the leaded roof of the great square tower,
which frowned down upon the drawbridge and gazed over the outer
gate-way, in whose tower old Jenkin Bray, the porter, dwelt, and whom
Roy could now see sitting beside the modern iron gate sunning himself,
his long white hair and beard glistening in the light.

There were openings for heavy guns in front here, and a broad, level,
projecting parapet with a place where the defenders could kneel, and
which looked like a broad seat at the first glance, while at its foot
was a series of longish, narrow, funnel-shaped openings, over which the
boy stood, gazing down through them at the entrance to the main
gate-way, noting how thoroughly they commanded the front of where the
portcullis would stand when dropped, and where any enemies attacking and
trying to break through would be exposed to a terrible shower of molten
lead, brought up from the furnace in the chamber below to pour down upon
the besiegers, while those who assailed them were in perfect safety.

"Horrid!" muttered Roy; "but I don't know; the enemy should stop away
and leave the people in the castle alone. But hot lead! Boiling water
wouldn't seem so bad. But surely Master Pawson's friend is wrong; we
can't be going to have war here in England. Well, if we do, there's
nothing to bring them here."

Roy left the machicolations and knelt upon the broad stone seat-like
place to stretch himself across the parapet, and look down, over the
narrow patch of stone paving, down into the deep moat, whose waters were
lit up by the sunshine, so that the boy could see the lily and other
water-plant stems and clumps of reed mace; at the farther edge the great
water-docks and plantains, with the pink-blossomed rush. But his
attention was wholly riveted by the fish which swarmed in the sunny
depths, and for a time he lay there upon his breast, kicking up his
heels and studying the broad-backed carp, some of which old age had
decked with patches of greyish mould. There were fat tench, too,
walloping about among the lilies, and appearing to enjoy the pleasure of
forcing their way in and out among the leaves and stems; while the carp
sailed about in the open water, basking in the sunshine, and seemed to
find their satisfaction in leaping bodily out of the water to fall back
with a splash.

There were roach, too, in shoals, and what seemed remarkable was that
they kept swimming close