How many are there of them ?" "There are three thousand men, in the town," the guard said.

"After a party of your soldiers came within a short distance of it, two months ago, fifteen hundred men were added to the garrison." "Well, you see, with three thousand men they could scour all the woods and, if they overtook us, we should be unable to make any defence.

Here, we may hope that they will not discover us; but if they do we can make a desperate resistance for, as only one man can enter that door at a time, it would be next to impossible for them to force their way in.

You have your guns, and I have a brace of pistols and, as all the others have spears, it will be as much as the three thousand men could do, to get in through that door.

If they did, there is a still narrower door in the corner to defend; and beyond that there is a long, narrow, steep flight of stairs, that one man could hold against a host.
"The first thing in the morning, we will carry our stores to the upper chamber.