"Give it up," said another.
"No, no; have him out. I'll never give in while I can use a stick. They are in earnest, and so are we. Don't let us be frightened because they have a gun or two—they can't have many; and besides, if they have, we are too many for them. Besides, we shall all die in our beds."
"Hurrah! down with the vampyre!"
"So say I, lads. I don't want to be sucked to death when I'm a-bed. Better die like a man than such a dog's death as that, and you have no revenge then."
"No, no; he has the better of us then. We'll have him out—we'll burn him—that's the way we'll do it."
"Ay, so we will; only let us get in."
At that moment a chosen party returned who had been round the house to make a reconnaissance.
"Well, well," inquired the mob, "what can be done now—where can we get in?"
"In several places."
"All right; come along then; the place is our own."