Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-01-19
.ii ;s!., X.
w YIES I descended Into

kAk house l had hit upon one W w line of defense at least, and
 l at once proceeded to real ize ii. As I walked from the draw bridge along the moat to the back of the castle ] wondered if it WaS prac- ticablc; but, remembering what old hesteYen had said of his predecessors $ experiment some forty years before, l had great hopes that the siuiees would still work The brook ran, as you will remember behind the castle, al d little distance from it, and l found without difficulty the mouth of the conduit which had been formerly used to feed the fosse. l inserted my arm as far as possible, and the space seemed fair ly clear, though the earth had crept ill and lay along the bottom, grown with grass to the depth of some inches. Still 1 had no fear that the flow of water would not wash this sediment away, provided always l could get the sluices up To find these sluces was my next thought 1 moved along the turf in the direction in which it seemed that the culvcrt must run. scrutnizing very carefully every inch of the ground. About. three feet from the stream was a noticeable elevation. a grass plot rising in a mound two feet high. Here was obviously what l wanted, and so, taking q spade, 1 dug with will and soon had the turf re moved and the floor of q stone erection laid bare. It was good hours work
  sufficiently to free the sluices; then 1 laid hands on them and pulled vigor- Ously, but fruitlessly. 1 must plainly have assistance, and accordingly, well enough content with my labors so far, I went back to the house. At break fast 1 revealed my scheme, much to the delight of Sheppard, who roundly declared that he would give five years of his life for this adventure. Support ed by two enthusiastic assistants, re- turned to work, fetching with me a heavy iron bar for use as a lever
 "A little more beef, Montgomery" shouted Sheppard, and himself grew as red as turkey cock with his eff forts. Montgomery flung his heavy body upon the extremity of the bar, and with crack something came up with a jerk. At the same time 1 heard below faint rumbling and rushing as of water
 We've done it!' I shouted, and ere the words were out of my mouth Shep- pard and the other were racing for the moat, whither they presently waved me with wild hands.
 The water was pouring from the con duit in a strong stream fully one foot in thickness That was enough. It would take some hours to fill the moat, but it might take all day so long as we were secured by the fall of night. We left the sluces up and went back.
 "The next thing" said I, lis to attack the drawbridge. The portcullis wants oil but that will do later"
 Well have the castle mediaeval fortress in a twinkling," said Shep- pard.
 The heavy chains of the draw wbridge were intact, but the machinery was in very bad way, and without more ado we set to work upon it. l called my man Williams into requisition. and l think it took the four of us till or [ o'clock in the evening ere we pro nounced ourselves satisfied. After that we had a rehearsal with both port cullis and awbridge. By this time the moat was swimming with water. which lapped under the shoulders of the bridge There must have been full ly twelve feet of water in the fosse
 This won't do. We'll have an inun- dation," said Montgomery. and he let the suices down. When all was done We surveyed our handiworll and were con tent It was now close upon o'clock.
 Dinner had been ready for more than half an hour, so we were informed by Mrs Nam. who must have regarded! us as lunatics. The clock in the hall struck S as we entered
 Watch tiine," said 1 Who goeSE
 We looked at each other laugh ng "N'g, ny tnrn.. said Sheppard, With q grimace, but l stopped him,
 No; let Montgomery" 1 said mean ingly.
 "Rght you are" responded Mont gomery cheerfully, and taking his bri.e of pistols he vanished along the corridor
 flows this?" asked Sheppard "I think the poor boy has earned his din her"
 Bless you, he shall have his dinner ' answered. "Only the danger Is going to be later, and I'd rather Montgomery were asleep in bed than asleep on the tower"
 We had arranged that Williams should stay the night in the castle and imbuing him with the fear of burglars had armed him with shotgun in cast we should come to the worst, As Shep pard remarked. we could readily tan gle the Welshman's brains if he be came suspicious, and if his garrulitA should bring us the sympathetic as sistance of the law l think we could be stupid enough and vague enougi z. | IL; L.. li.- -.x.4. L..