Then he:  ’’Tis not his treasure—­no, nor yours either, but mine, for it is in my well, and I have let you get it.  Yet I will give you a half-share in it; but as for this boy, what has he to do with it?  We will give him a golden guinea, and he will be richly paid for his pains.’

‘Tush,’ cries Elzevir, ’let us have no more fooling; this boy shall have his share, or I will know the reason why.’

‘Ay, you shall know the reason, fair enough,’ answers the turnkey, ’and ’tis because your name is Block, and there is a price of 50 upon your head, and 20 upon this boy’s.  You thought to outwit me, and are yourself outwitted; and here I have you in a trap, and neither leaves this room, except with hands tied, and bound for the gallows, unless I first have the jewel safe in my purse.’

On that I whipped the diamond back quick into the little parchment bag, and thrust both down snug into my breeches-pocket, meaning to have a fight for it, anyway, before I let it go.  And looking up again, I saw the turnkey’s hand on the butt of his pistol, and cried, ’Beware, beware! he draws on you.’  But before the words were out of my mouth, the turn-key had his weapon up and levelled full at Elzevir.  ‘Surrender,’ he cries, ‘or I shoot you dead, and the 50 is mine,’ and never giving time for answer, fires.  Elzevir stood on the other side of the well-mouth, and it seemed the other could not miss him at such a distance; but as I blinked my eyes at the flash, I felt the bullet strike the iron chain to which I was holding, and saw that Elzevir was safe.

The turnkey saw it too, and flinging away his pistol, sprang round the well and was at Elzevir’s throat before he knew whether he was hit or not.  I have said that the turnkey was a tall, strong man, and twenty years the younger of the two; so doubtless when he made for Elzevir, he thought he would easily have him broken down and handcuffed, and then turn to me.  But he reckoned without his host, for though Elzevir was the shorter and older man, he was wonderfully strong, and seasoned as a salted thong.  Then they hugged one another and began a terrible struggle:  for Elzevir knew that he was wrestling for life, and I daresay the turnkey guessed that the stakes were much the same for him too.

As soon as I saw what they were at, and that the bucket was safe fixed, I laid hold of the well-chain, and climbing up by it swung myself on to the top of the parapet, being eager to help Elzevir, and get the turnkey gagged and bound while we made our escape.  But before I was well on the firm ground again, I saw that little help of mine was needed, for the turnkey was flagging, and there was a look of anguish and desperate surprise upon his face, to find that the man he had thought to master so lightly was strong as a giant.  They were swaying to and fro, and the jailer’s grip was slackening, for his muscles were overwrought and tired; but Elzevir held him firm as a vice, and I saw from his eyes and the bearing of his body that he was gathering himself up to give his enemy a fall.