iends mounted to the tower. Anton reported what he had heard.
Fink carefully explored the sentries' posts and the line of road till
lost in the wood. "Our situation is too quiet to be comfortable," said
he, shutting up the glass.

"They mean to starve us out," said Anton, gravely.

"I give them credit for that clever notion; and they do not judge ill,
for, between ourselves, I have strong doubts whether we have any relief
to hope for."

"We may depend upon Karl," said Anton.

"And upon my bay too," replied Fink; "but it is very possible that my
poor Blackfoot may have the misfortune to be carrying the carcass of one
of the insurgents at this very moment; and whether the youth Karl may
not have fallen into the hands of one of the bands who, no doubt, swarm
throughout the country; whether he ever found our soldiers; whether they
chose to march to our aid; whether, in short, they will have the sense
to come in time; and whether they are strong enough, after all, to
disperse the troop gone out to meet them--these, my boy, are all
questions which may reasonably be put, and I, for one, dare not answer
them hopefully."

"We might attempt a sally, but it would be bloody work," said Anton.

"Pooh!" said Fink; "it would be useless, which is worse. We might
disperse one set of them, and another would be there in an hour;
nothing but having a strong party to relieve us can get us out of the
scrape. As long as we keep within these walls we are strong; on the open
field, encumbered with women and children, a dozen horsemen might ride
us down."

"We must wait, then," said Anton, gloomily.

"Well said, after all. The whole of human wisdom consists in never
putting to one's self or to others questions which nobody can answer.
The affair threatens to be tedious."

The friends came down again, and hour after hour passed--weary hours of
leaden inactivity. First Anton, then Fink, looked through the glass at
the opening into the wood. There was little to be seen; patrols came and
went; armed peasants entered the village, and were dispatched in
different directions; the sentinels were regularly inspected and
relieved every two hours; the besiegers were busy in searching and
disarming the surrounding villages, in order to make a more vigorous
assault than ever on the castle.

The Germans were pent up in their fortress like a wild beast in his
lair, and the huntsmen waited with calm confidence for the time when
hunger, or else fire