“Can we hold the house?” asked Dubois quickly.
“The walls are strong and we have close upon a hundred men, but——” and he shrugged his shoulders.
“But what?” was Gerard’s eager answer.
“I would give half the men and choose a weaker house for more arms and powder.”
The other two were silent for a while at this ominous reply.
“Do you mean we can’t stand our ground even for the hours until my cousin can arrive?”
“We are men and can try. But it depends on the Governor—if he learns that you are here, and when he learns it, and what he does when he knows.”
“He thinks we are in hiding in the city. We had a brush with a search party near the walls, and they will soon carry the news to the Castle.”
“Let us pray that he remains in that belief; for if he swoops down on this place with a strong force it will be an ugly business. We could not hope to resist for many hours.”
“Let us go round and see, Dubois,” said Gerard.