Malcolm stamped his feet with vexation.
"What a fool I am," he muttered, "not to have thought of a sortie! If we had all held ourselves in readiness to spring out, we might have cut down the whole of them; at any rate none would have got off with their barrels." This unexpected failure greatly damped the spirit of the peasants, and there was much consultation among them before any fresh move was made.
As he saw that they were fully occupied, and paying no heed to the tower, Malcolm said to his men: "I am going outside; prepare to help me up over the door again quickly if necessary." Leaving his sword behind him, he took a leap from the step above the inclined plane and landed at the bottom, and at once threw himself down outside.

With his dagger he removed the hoops of one of the barrels, and scattered the contents thickly along the front of the tower.

None of the peasants perceived him, for there were many bodies lying round the foot of the tower; and even had any looked that way they would not have noticed that one prone figure had been added to the number.
Crawling cautiously along Malcolm pushed two other barrels before him, and opening them as before, spread the contents of one upon the ground near the side of the tower, and the other by the hinder face.

The thick black layer on the snow would have told its tale instantly to a soldier, but Malcolm had little fear of the peasants in their haste paying attention to it.

When his task was completed he crawled back again to the door and laid a train from the foot of the slide to the powder without.
"I will remain here," he said, "for the present.