“Oh, sir, he is safe against all the armies in the world! I ought not to reveal this to you, for the Sultan is my master; but believe me, I have so much respect for your Emperor that I am willing to do him or one of his knights a service. The castle is strongly protected. It cannot be taken from the land side, and seawards it is skirted by an inclosure filled with savage beasts. Oh, sir! I have now and then seen those cruel animals from a distance, and been terribly frightened by their dreadful roars. When I have seen them spring upon one another in mighty leaps, though they were only in sport, it has scared me so that I have seized my oars and rowed far from the spot.” “You timorous hare! Do you suppose a German knight fears to go among those beasts?” The fisherman stared at the knight in astonishment. “For God’s sake, Sir Knight, do not think of going there. No prisoner who has tried to escape that way has ever come out alive. They could hardly find his bones in the morning, and sometimes only a few blood spots told the story of his awful death.” “But how can a prisoner get in there?” “Near the centre of the enclosure there is a door which remains closed, but unlocked, day and night. A passage from it leads to the lion tower where the prisoners are. You can see it rising from the centre of the castle. They say that the guards sometimes pay no attention to their prisoners, because they know that if they seek to escape through this passage they will meet an awful death.” The Emperor’s blood ran cold as the thought occurred to him that the Sultan might take the same course with the boys, but he quickly regained his composure. “Promise me, Sir Knight, not to throw away your life there.” “Fool, where did you get that idea? If I wished to go there I should not hesitate, for I should expect to succeed; but I don’t know that I have any interest over there. Find me a quiet little place where I can sleep a few hours.” The fisherman promptly replied: “No one will disturb you here, for no one else lives here. Lie down anywhere and rest. I am going to look for firewood, and shall not be back until it is time to get dinner.” “Many thanks to you, but go as soon as you can, so that I can sleep.” Chapter XIII Barbarossa’s Victory and Death