yard, in which, as he knew, was the well. The bucket hung
at the windlass.

"Catch hold, Ralph!" he exclaimed; "there is just a chance, and we may
as well be drowned as killed." They grasped the rope and jumped off. The
bucket began to descend with frightful velocity. Faster and faster it
went and yet it seemed a long time before they plunged into the water,
which was nigh a hundred feet below the surface. Fortunately the rope
was considerably longer than was necessary, and they sank many feet into
the water, still retaining their hold. Then clinging to the rope they
hauled themselves to the surface.

"We cannot hold on here five minutes," Ralph exclaimed, "my armour is
dragging me down."

"We will soon get rid of that," Walter said.

"There go our helmets; now I will hold on with one hand and help you to
unbuckle your breast and back pieces; you do the same for me."

With great efforts they managed to rid themselves of their armour,
and then held on with ease to the rope. They hauled the bucket to the
surface and tied a knot in the slack of the rope, so that the bucket
hung four feet below the level of the water. Putting their feet in
this, they were able to stand with their heads above the surface without
difficulty.

"This is a nice fix," Ralph exclaimed. "I think it would have been just
as well to have been killed at once. They are sure to find us here, and
if they don't we shall die of cold before tomorrow morning."

"I don't think they will find us," Walter said cheerfully. "When they
have searched the castle thoroughly it may occur to some of them that
we have jumped down the well, but it will be no particular business of
anyone to look for us, and they will all be too anxious to get at the
wine butts to trouble their heads about the matter; besides, it must be
a heavy job to wind up this bucket, and it is not likely there will be
such urgent need of water that anyone will undertake the task."

"But we are no better off if they don't," Ralph remarked, "for we must
die here if we are not hauled out. I suppose you don't intend to try and
climb that rope. I might do twenty feet or so on a pinch, but I could no
more get up to the top there than I could fly."

"We must think it over," Walter rejoined; "where there is a will there
is a way, you know. We will take it by turns to watch that little patch
of light overhead; if we see anyone looking down we must leave the
bucket and swim to the side without making