shine. The roofless tower, which smelled
dank and unwholesome, was empty, or cumbered only with rubbish and heaps
of stones; but looking through the inner door I saw in the courtyard a
smouldering fire and half a dozen men in the act of rousing themselves
from sleep. I stood a second balancing my faggot, as if in doubt where
to lay it down; and then assuring myself by a swift glance that the man
who had let us in still had his back towards us, I dropped it across the
inner doorway, Fanchette, as she had been instructed, plumped hers upon
it, and at the same moment I sprang to the door, and taking the man
there by surprise, dealt him a violent blow between the shoulders, which
sent him headlong down the slope.

A cry behind me, followed by an oath of alarm, told me that the action
was observed and that now was the pinch. In a second I was back at the
faggots, and drawing a pistol from under my blouse was in time to meet
the rush of the nearest man, who, comprehending all, sprang up, and made
for me, with his sheathed sword. I shot him in the chest as he cleared
the faggots--which, standing nearly as high as a man's waist, formed a
tolerable obstacle--and he pitched forward at my feet.

This balked his companions, who drew back; but unfortunately it was
necessary for me to stoop to get my sword, which was hidden in the
faggot I had carried. The foremost of the rascals took advantage of
this. Rushing at me with a long knife, he failed to stab me--for I
caught his wrist--but he succeeded in bringing me to the ground. I
thought I was undone. I looked to have the others swarm over upon us;
and so it would doubtless have happened had not Fanchette, with rare
courage, dealt the first who followed a lusty blow on the body with a
great stick she snatched up. The man collapsed on the faggots, and this
hampered the rest. The check was enough. It enabled M. d'Agen to come
up, who, dashing in through the gate, shot down the first he saw before
him, and running at the doorway with his sword with incredible fury and
the courage which I had always known him to possess, cleared it in a
twinkling. The man with whom I was engaged on the ground, seeing what
had happened, wrested himself free with the strength of despair, and
dashing through the outer door, narrowly escaped being ridden down by my
followers as they swept up to the gate at a gallop, and dismounted amid
a whirlwind of cries.

In a moment they thronged in on us pell-mell, and