owl of ravening
beasts, had rushed upon it with their iron bars, while another band
began wrenching out the iron fastenings of the windows with their sharp
_csakanyas_.[21]

[Footnote 21: Hooked axes.]

The besieged had to economize their shots, for they had only four
charges left. Their means of defence had to be reserved till the very
last instant, they could not afford to simply destroy the first stupid
bumpkin who might happen to come in their way.

The fear of death no longer terrified the besiegers. Several times Maria
held the barrel of her pistol close to the temples of the peasant who
was busy with the iron fastenings of the window, and he did not so much
as move his head. Many of the howling mob were so drunk that they no
longer knew what fear was. They thrust their hands through the glass to
open the window sashes, and Maria sliced away with her sword at the
intruding hands, and a few minutes afterwards the same bloody hands
would re-appear with stunted fingers. Wounds no longer hurt them.

The time had come when the besieged could count the minutes which they
had still to live, the blows given and received were like so much money
paid for life, whosoever stock failed first would be utterly ruined.

Maria was able to defend the window longer than Imre could defend the
door, one of whose panels was suddenly burst in with a loud crash,
opening a breach to the besiegers outside, whose sudden rush to the gap
made it impossible for the youth, despite the most frantic efforts, to
defend the crazy door much longer.

Maria heard Imre's cry of despair, and, forgetting the same instant her
own danger, quitted the window, and sped to the help of her beloved.

For a few moments the besiegers made a frantic effort to force their way
through the door, but at length the two swords, swift as lightning
flashes, beat down the brutal preponderance of the mob. The two
defenders held their places, held them, at any rate, till the besiegers
should stream through the window or shoot them down from behind.

Either of these eventualities might be expected at any moment.

"Keep your shots to the very last," whispered Maria to Imre. "Reserve
one of them for the enemy, and the other for me. I must not fall into
their hands alive."

Nevertheless, there was an unaccountable tardiness among the besiegers
of the window, and the assailants of the door also began thinning down,
and everyone noticed with surprise that the deafening