mastered all the architectural details
of the passage, and then devise some plan to reach Marishka. Balked in
other directions he could return to this secret door into the Hall, and
awaiting the departure of Goritz, force an entrance and trust to luck.

But there might be some other and less dangerous means of reaching
Marishka. Even if he entered the Hall, he would have no idea which way
to turn. Better to follow the passage to the upper floors, if it were
possible, and enter above, thus creating a diversion which might add to
the advantage of his surprise. But did the passage mount higher? Or
was--? His advancing toes touched something solid. Bending forward, he
found steps, and immediately began mounting them on all fours.

The sleeping-rooms, he had supposed, were on the two upper floors of the
keep and in the buttressed building toward the south which was a part of
it. This was the direction in which he was going now. He reached another
landing, as nearly as he could judge by the steps he had taken, almost
over the crypt, three levels below. This was the keep, then, upon his
left. With pulse beating rapidly he felt for and found a wooden
upright--another door. He paused and listened. There was no sound nor
any light upon the other side. So he went on slowly until at a distance
above him he saw the starlight coming through another loophole, the
counterpart of that below the Hall, and mounted noiselessly, peering out
upon the wider valley to the south. He had therefore traversed the
castle from one side to the other, and was now near the top of the
buttressed wing of the keep.

Breathing in deep gasps the keen night air, Renwick waited, listening,
and now heard again from outside the thunderous reverberations of the
battle at the head of the Pass. He had been so intent upon his mission
that he had forgotten it! But now the furious character of the
engagement was obvious. It was far distant, perhaps four or five miles
away, and yet the wild heavens were aglow with strange flashing fires,
the reflections of the bombs and star-shells which paled the ineffectual
lights of the firmament. Battle! Schloss Szolnok, too, should see
battle--his own with Goritz! But Renwick would take no chances this
time.

The heavy reverberations rose and died away, but a fainter spatter of
sounds continued, the deadly counter-melody of machine-gun and rifle
fire which went on without intermission. Far below the Schloss, in the
direction