Broadly speaking, there are only two courses open to a beleaguered garrison. It can stay where it is, or it can make a sortie. I considered the second of these courses. It was possible that Sam and his allies had departed in the automobile to get reinforcements, leaving the coast temporarily clear; in which case, by escaping from the house at once, we might be able to slip unobserved through the grounds and reach the village in safety. To support this theory there was the fact that the car, on its late visit, had contained only the chauffeur and the two ambassadors, while Sam had spoken of the remainder of Buck's gang as being in readiness to attack in the event of my not coming to terms. That might mean that they were waiting at Buck's headquarters, wherever those might be--at one of the cottages down the road, I imagined; and, in the interval before the attack began, it might be possible for us to make our sortie with success. 'Is Ogden in bed?' I asked. 'Yes.' 'Will you go and get him up as quickly as you can?' I strained my eyes at the window, but it was impossible to see anything. The rain was still falling heavily. If the drive had been full of men they would have been invisible to me. Presently Audrey returned, followed by Ogden. The Little Nugget was yawning the aggrieved yawns of one roused from his beauty sleep. 'What's all this?' he demanded. 'Listen,' I said. 'Buck MacGinnis and Smooth Sam Fisher have come after you. They are outside now. Don't be frightened.' He snorted derisively. 'Who's frightened? I guess they won't hurt _me_. How do you know it's them?' 'They have just been here. The man who called himself White, the butler, was really Sam Fisher. He has been waiting an opportunity to get you all the term.' 'White! Was he Sam Fisher?' He chuckled admiringly. 'Say, he's a wonder!' 'They have gone to fetch the rest of the gang.' 'Why don't you call the cops?' 'They have cut the wire.' His only emotions at the news seemed to be amusement and a renewed admiration for Smooth Sam. He smiled broadly, the little brute. 'He's a wonder!' he repeated. 'I guess he's smooth, all right. He's the limit! He'll get me all right this trip. I bet you a nickel he wins out.' I found his attitude trying. That he, the cause of all the trouble, should be so obviously regarding it as a sporting contest got up for his entertainment, was hard to bear. And the fact that, whatever might happen to myself, he was in no danger, comforted me not at all. If I could have felt that we were in any way companions in peril, I might have looked on the bulbous boy with quite a friendly eye. As it was, I nearly kicked him. 'We had better waste no time,' suggested Audrey, 'if we are going.' 'I think we ought to try it,' I said. 'What's that?' asked the Nugget. 'Go where?' 'We are going to steal out through the back way and try to slip through to the village.'