Bill agreeing to Jack’s proposal, they began jumping and stamping about the room, and singing at the top of their voices, in a way which could scarcely fail to be heard by the men in the guard-room below.
They were in a short time convinced that their proceedings had produced the desired effect; for when they ceased to make the noise, they heard the heavy step of a man ascending the creaking stairs. It had not occurred to them that he might possibly come with a thick stick in his hand, to thrash them for making a row. The idea, however, flashed across Jack’s mind by the time the man was half-way up.
“We may get more kicks than ha’pence for what we’ve been doing,” he observed; “however, it cannot be helped; we must put a good face on the matter, and let him fancy that it is the way English boys have of showing when they are hungry. If he does not make out what we mean, we’ll say, ‘manger, manger,’ and he’ll then know what we want.”
Bill laughed. He was not much afraid of a beating. He reminded Jack that he must not say anything more than he proposed, or the Frenchmen might find out that they understood their language.
The man came slowly up the steps, which creaked and groaned louder and louder.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Bill. “If those steps are as rotten as they appear to be, we might pull some of them up, and so prevent the guard from reaching this room, and finding out that we have made our escape.”
“We should have to get the door open first,” observed Jack, “and that would be no easy matter.”
“More easy than you may suppose,” said Bill. “I’ll try and shove something into the catch of the lock while the Frenchman is in the room.”
Just then the door opened, and a soldier entered, with a lantern in one hand, and, as Jack expected, a stick in the other. It was not, however, a very thick one, and Jack thought, as he eyed it, that its blows, though they might hurt, would not break any bones; however, neither he nor Bill had any intention of being thrashed if they could help it.
The soldier began at once to inquire, in an angry tone, why they had made so much noise.