"Nay, not if it was made tight, sir." "But what makes you say that? You've never seen the passage?" "No, sir, I've never been down, but your father once said something about it. It was a long time before that tower was done up and made right for Master Pawson. I don't recollect much about it, but I suppose it must be there." "That's another thing to see to, then," said Roy. "Because, if it does exist, and the enemy heard of it, he might come in and surprise us. I know; we'll find it, and block it up." "Nay, I wouldn't do that, sir. It might be that we should have to go away, and it isn't a bad thing to have a way out in case of danger." "Not likely to do that, Ben," said Roy, haughtily. "We are going to hold the place." "Yes, sir, as long as we can; but we can't do impossibilities. Now, sir, will you go and have your bit o' dinner, while I have mine?" "Oh, I don't feel as if I could eat, Ben; I'm too full of excitement." "More reason why you should go and have your dinner, sir. Man can't fight without he eats and drinks." "Nor a boy, neither--eh, Ben?" "That's so, sir; only I wouldn't be talking before the men about being only a boy. You leave them to say it if they like. But they won't; they'll judge you by what you do, sir; and if you act like a man, they'll look at you as being the one in command of them, and behave like it." "Very well, I'll go to dinner, and in an hour meet you here." "Fifty minutes, sir. It's a good ten minutes since the men went in." Roy joined his mother, feeling, as he said, too full of excitement to eat; but he found the meal ready, with one of the maids in attendance, and everything so calm and quiet, that, as they sat chatting, it seemed as if all this excitement were as unsubstantial as the distant rumours of war; while, when the meal was at an end, his mother's words tended to lend some of her calm to his excited brain. "I have been hearing of all that you have done, Roy," she said. "It is excellent; but do not hurry. I cannot afford to have you ill." That was a fresh idea, and the consequences of such a trouble too horrible to be contemplated; but it made Roy determine to take things more coolly, and in this spirit he went to where the servants were assembled in the gate-way, and joined his trusty lieutenant, who had just drawn them up in line. CHAPTER TEN. ROY VISITS THE POWDER-MAGAZINE. "Now, Ben, what next?" "The thing I've been thinking, sir, is that, little as it be, we must make the most of our garrison. It's war time now, and if you'll give the order I'll march the men to the armoury and serve out the weepuns and clothes." Roy nodded, gave the word for the men to march, counter-ordered it, at a hint from Ben, and then, telling them to face right, put himself at their head, and marched them to the long, low room at once. Ben began to serve out the buff jerkins and steel caps.