We swam upstream, keeping close to the cliff, each with his clothes and pistol tied up in a wrap of oiled silk and strapped to the back of his head. Soon the cliff gave way to the steep slope of the woods; and at once Mansel, who was leading, took hold of an overhanging bough and swung himself on to dry land and out of sight. Carson and I followed. An immediate observation of the road beyond the river showed that, so far as we could see, there was no one in sight.
We judged that, by going straight up, we should come to the sentinel peak: and, so soon as we had put on our clothes, we began to climb up through the forest in single file.
Either our judgment was at fault, or we bore too much to the left, for, after ten minutes’ walking, we saw the walls of the castle a bare thirty paces away. We, therefore, bent to the right and, using extreme caution, made our way under cover to the spot where I had met Bell on the night of the attack on the well.
We were now at the edge of the meadow, and nearly as close to the well as, short of entering the open, a man could come.
The light was fast failing, but as yet we could see well enough.
The redoubt had been finished and now stood some six feet high about the well. I am sure it was loop-holed, but this did not appear: probably the loopholes were covered, whilst they were out of use. Of this fastness a third part was roofed, with what I could not distinguish, but rafters had plainly been laid from the wall to the cupola of the well. There was, therefore, some shelter from the heaven; but I could not help thinking that our quarters, grim as they were, were a hundred times more secure and comfortable than this wretched abode, which was, indeed, no better than the byre from which it had sprung.
There was a light burning behind the wall, and once or twice we heard voices; but we could see no movement without, and there was no sound of any labour.
Then Mansel bade Carson and me stay where we were, and himself stole forward along the edge of the wood. He was gone some time, and, when he returned, it was dark. There was, he reported, no sentry that he could locate, nor any sign of the car, which he thought was probably abroad. “If I am right,” he added, “there are but three of them here, and to judge from the voices, all those are within the redoubt. We have, therefore, a chance of eavesdropping which may not occur again. And now do exactly as I do: lift up your feet well and mind your step.”
With that, he began to step lightly over the grass, making straight for the covered portion of the redoubt: and, a moment later, we were standing beneath its wall, able distinctly to hear every word that was said.
“Live an’ let live, Rose,” said Punter’s voice. “What’s the matter with the pump?”
“That,” said Rose Noble, “is just what I want to know. If the pump’s going to shift the water, why didn’t Big Willie have a pump?”
“ ’Cause he didn’t have time to go an’ get one before we blew in.”
“He’d a day and a half,” said Rose Noble. “And Big Willie’s not the ⸻ to dig a hole with his fingers, when he can have a spade.”
“A nerror of judgment,” said Job. “That’s wot it was. They ’ad to choose between goin’ an’ gettin’ a pump and ’avin’ a dart with their pails. Directly I see the water, I says, ‘ ’Ere’s room for a pump.’ I know. I ’ad to watch one once.”
“ ‘Watch one’?” said Rose Noble, contemptuously. “What do you mean—‘Watch one’?”
“ ‘Watch one,’ ” repeated Job. “They ’ave to be watched, of course. But they’ll deliver the goods. I tell you, we’ll empty this well in a couple of hours. Wait till you see the ⸻ a-buzzin’ away.”
“My God,” said Rose Noble, brokenly. “He thinks it’s a motor-pump.” Punter let out a guffaw. “You ⸻ milkmaid, where would we get the power? Where’s the current to drive it? Where’s the plumbers and masons to set it up? I thought you seemed damned anxious to have a pump. Saw yourself ‘watching it,’ I suppose—with a bottle of Bass in your pocket and a fag in your face.”
“But—”
“It’s going to be worked by hand, Job,” continued his relentless comforter. “Your hand. You will have to work very hard, pushing a bar to and fro. I think it probable that you will sweat. Yes, I thought that’d faze you, you lazy skunk. There’s a million down in that well, but, rather than work for a week, you’ll let it lie.”
“ ‘Lazy’?” screeched Job. “ ‘Lazy’? Look at my ⸻ hands.”
“Oh, I reckon they’re dirty,” said Rose Noble. “You haven’t drawn enough water to rinse them clean.” The other’s protest he scorched with a terrible oath. “Oh, if I’d ‘Holy’ Gordon and two of his lads! They didn’t care where they slept, whiles the job was raw. They’d’ve shifted a ⸻ river, if it was keeping gold.” He expired violently. “Are you certain sure there’s no one back in the house?”
“Certain sure,” said Punter. “And every mark’s as it was. There’s no one been through that courtyard for more than a week.”
“Then, what’s their game?” said Rose Noble, half to himself.
“You can search me,” said Punter. “I’ve dreamed about it o’ nights.”
“One thing’s plain,” said the other. “They’re banking upon our failure to lick those springs.”
“An’ I don’t blame them,” muttered Job. “I’d back the ⸻ myself.”
Punter disregarded the gloss.
“An’, when we’ve chucked in our hand, they’re comin’ back.”
“That’s too easy,” said Rose Noble. “Besides, they’re a heap too careful to swallow a risk like that. Big Willie’s not got his feet up. But
