Wamby eagerly seized the pin, and putting it in the hole, pressed upon it and repeated the usual words. The door opened and revealed a flight of steps immediately under the incline. They ascended these, and at the top Smithkin showed them a door through which they emerged in the passageway near where the soldiers were. At sight of them the soldiers scampered into the room containing the trap-door.
Wamby’s quick eye noted that they had neglected to remove Smithkin’s door-pin from the hole, so he ran up, and placing his finger on the head of the pin, shouted “Surrender instantly, or I’ll dump you all down below! Lay down your arms and walk out here, and I’ll promise to treat you well.”
Without hesitation the scared soldiers dropped their spears, and hurried out into the passageway.
“Now,” said Wamby, drawing forth the pin, “Kitey, you take fifty of our men and arm them with those spears, and keep guard over these soldiers.”
Then Wamby nodded to Harry, who in a second seized Smithkin, took away his spear, and held him fast while two of the elves bound his hands behind him.
“Guard him closely, and keep him separate from the rest,” ordered Wamby.
After Smithkin had been removed to a distance, Wamby turned to the disarmed soldiers and said, “Do any of you know where the royal armory is?”
“Smithkin is the only one who knows,” one of the men replied. “We common soldiers were never allowed to go to the armory.”
Wamby beckoned Harry aside, and whispered, “What can we do now? It seems impossible to arm the rest of our men.”