ould hear the
breathing of several men.

"He is surely within," said a voice. "The tower has been watched every
moment of the day."

Again came the loud knocking.

"Open--in the name of the Duke!" cried the voice. And the door was
rattled fiercely against its fastenings.

But I knew well enough that it could hold against any force of unassisted
men. For my father had ever taken a special pride in the bars and
defences of the single low door which led into his much-threatened
residence.

So I crouched in the dark of the stairs and listened with yet more
quivering intentness. Presently I could hear shoulders set to the
iron-studded surface, and a voice counted, softly, "One--two--three--and
a heave!" But though I discerned the laboring of the men straining
themselves with all their might, they might as well have pushed at the
rough-harled wall of the Wolfsberg.

"It will not do," I heard one say at last. "We cannot hope to succeed
thus. Bring the powder-bag and prepare the fuse."

So then I knew indeed that our time was at hand. I mounted the stairs
three at a time till I came to the room where Helene was waiting for me
in the dark.

"Fire the beacon on the Tower!" I bade her--"our enemies are upon us!"

"And after that may I come to you, Hugo?" she said.

"Nay, little one, it is better that you bide on the roof and see that
the beacon burns. You will find plenty of tow and oil in the niche by the
stair-head."

I could hear Helene give vent to a little sigh. But she obeyed instantly,
and her light feet went pattering up the stairs.

Then I waited for the explosion, which seemed as if it would never come.
I had my dagger in my belt, but of pure instinct my right hand seized the
Red Axe. For I had more skill of that than any other weapon, and as I had
cast it down when they brought us in from the scaffold that morning, it
lay ready to my hand.

So I waited at the stair-head, and watched keenly the narrow passage up
which the men must come one by one. I measured my distance with the
axe-handle, and made a trial sweep or two, so that I might be sure of
clearing the stones on either side. I could not see that there would be
much difficulty in holding the place for a while, if only Prince Karl
would haste him and come. For to me the game of breaking heads and
slicing necks would be easy as cracking nuts on an anvil--at least, so
long as they would come up singly.

Presently I heard the roar of burning fuel ab