"Well, we canna' go by the door."
"No; and even if it were open, those two dogs are guarding it. I heard that man who brought us here tell them to 'watch.'"
"Aye! They're a vera nice pair o' dogs, that. That is, they'd be nice if they had nickel steel muzzles on."
"Say, I wish you'd cut out your joking for a while, Sandy. This is a serious matter. We don't wish our friends to have to pay big ransoms for us. I'd hate to think of those rascals winning out after all, and getting rich on their scoundrelly ways, too."
"So would I," agreed Sandy, suddenly serious. "I tell you what, Jack, did you notice that spiral stairway outside the tower?"
"Yes, I noticed it when we came in. Why?"
"Weel, I'm thinking that yon bit window must look out on that same stairway."
"Suppose it does? How are we to reach the window?"
"Pile up some of the furniture on the bed. I guess we could easily reach it that way. It's no vera big, but I'm thinking we could manage to squeeze through, if we reached it."
"By George, Sandy, it's worth trying, anyhow. Let's set about it at once. But be careful not to make any noise moving the furniture. They might guess what we are at."