Most of the peasants who had assisted in carrying off the contents of the wagon were present, and these started instantly to dig up the barrels which they had taken as their share of the booty.

The shouts of satisfaction and the departure of forty or fifty men at full speed in various directions did not pass unnoticed by the garrison of the tower.
"They have got a plan of some sort," Malcolm said; "what it is I have no idea, but they certainly seem confident about it.

Look at those fellows throwing up their caps and waving their arms.

I do not see how we can be attacked, but I do not like these signs of confidence on their part, for they know now how strong our position is.

It seems to me that we are impregnable except against artillery." Unable to repress his uneasiness Malcolm wandered from window to window watching attentively what was going on without, but keeping himself as far back as possible from the loopholes; for the men with muskets kept up a dropping fire at the openings, and although their aim was poor, bullets occasionally passed in and flattened themselves against the opposite walls.
"There is a man returning," he said in about half an hour; "he is carrying something on his shoulder, but I cannot see what it is." In another ten minutes the man had reached the group of peasants standing two or three hundred yards from the church, and was greeted with cheers and waving of hats.
"Good heavens!" Malcolm exclaimed suddenly, "it is a barrel of powder.
They must have stripped some broken down ammunition wagon.