The room John occupied had formerly been a loft over a stable, in the rear of the house in which Josephus now lodged; and it was reached by a ladder from the outside. He had shared it, at first, with two of his comrades; but these had both fallen, during the siege. After seeing the boy up into it, John went to the house and procured him an abundant meal; and took it, with a small horn of water, back to his quarters.
"Here's plenty for you to eat, Jonas, but not much to drink. We are all on short allowance, the same as the rest of the people; and I am afraid that won't last long."
There was a twinkle of amusement in the boy's face but, without a word, he set to work at the food, eating ravenously all that John had brought him. The latter was surprised to see that he did not touch the water; for he thought that if his stepmother deprived him of food, of which there was abundance, she would all the more deprive him of water, of which the ration to each person was so scanty.
"Now," John said, "you had better throw away that bit of sackcloth, and take this garment. It belonged to a comrade of mine, who has been killed."
"There's too much of it," the boy said. "If you don't mind my tearing it in half, I will take it."
"Do as you like with it," John replied; and the boy tore the long strip of cotton in two, and wrapped half of it round his loins.
"Now," he said, "what do you want to ask me?"
"They tell me, Jonas, that you are a first-rate climber, and can go anywhere?"
The boy nodded.
"I can get about, I can. I have been tending goats, pretty well ever since I could walk and, where they can go, I can."