"He kickit Jaikie in the stomach and Jaikie was seeck," Dougal
explained. "That's the three accounted for. Now they're safe for five
hours at the least. I think mysel' that Dobson will be the first to get
out, but he'll have his work letting out the others. Now, I'm for
flittin' to the old Tower. They'll no ken where we are for a long time,
and anyway yon place will be far easier to defend. Without they kindle
a fire and smoke us out, I don't see how they'll beat us. Our provisions
are a' there, and there's a grand well o' water inside. Forbye there's
the road down the rocks that'll keep our communications open.... But
what's come to Mr. Heritage?"
Dickson to his shame had forgotten all about his friend. The Poet lay
very quiet with his head on one side and his legs crooked limply. Blood
trickled over his eyes from an ugly scar on his forehead. Dickson felt
his heart and pulse and found them faint but regular. The man had got a
swinging blow and might have a slight concussion; for the present he was
unconscious.
"All the more reason why we should flit," said Dougal. "What d'ye say,
Mr. McCunn?"
"Flit, of course, but further than the old Tower. What's the time?" He
lifted Heritage's wrist and saw from his watch that it was half-past
three. "Mercy! It's nearly morning. Afore we put these blagyirds away,
they were conversing, at least Leon and Dobson were. They said that they
expected somebody every moment, but that the car would be late. We've
still got that Somebody to tackle. Then Leon spoke to me in the dark,
thinking I was Dobson, and cursed the wind, saying it would keep the
Danish brig from getting in at dawn as had been intended. D'you see what
that means? The worst of the lot, the ones the ladies are in terror of,
are coming by sea. Ay, and they can return by sea. We thought that the
attack would be by land, and that even if they succeeded we could hang
on to their heels and follow them, till we got them stopped. But that's
impossible! If they come in from the water, they can go out by the
water, and there'll never be more heard tell of the ladies or of you or
me."
Dougal's face was once again sunk in gloom. "What's your plan, then?"
"We must get the ladies away from here--away inland, far from the sea.
The rest of us must stand a siege in the old Tower, so that the enemy
will think we're all there. Please God we'll hold out long enough for
help to arrive. But we mustn't hang about here. There's the man Dobson
mentioned--he may come any second, and we want to be away first. Get the
ladder, Dougal.... Four of you take Mr. Heritage, and two come with me
and carry the ladies' things. It's no' raining, but the wind's enough to
take the wings off a seagull."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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