“Coil up the rope, Paolo, and then feel along the wall to the right; don’t go too far.  I will go to the left, there may be some steps up to the rampart.”

This proved to be the case, and together they made their way up quietly, but even had they had their shoes on, the snow was already sufficiently deep to deaden their footsteps.  On reaching the top they stood silent for a minute or two.  Presently they heard the sound of heavy stamping of feet.  They turned at once to descend, if necessary, the steps they had mounted, then Hector put his hand upon the other’s shoulder and whispered, “It is the sentry trying to warm his feet; no doubt he is standing up somewhere to shelter himself from the snow; let us go on at once.”

They crossed the rampart, fastened the hook on the top of the wall, and descended, and were again successful in bringing the rope down after them.

“Go carefully, Paolo; no doubt there is a moat somewhere here.”  There was, however, no necessity for caution, for the white surface of the snow was soon broken by a black line.

“It will be awfully cold,” Paolo said, with teeth that chattered at the prospect.

“Of course you can swim, Paolo?”

“Not very well, master.”

“Then I will go first.  You fasten the rope under your arms, and I will haul you across.  Be sure you do not make a noise in getting into the water.  But first of all take off your doublet, I will carry it and mine across on my head.  It cannot be many yards across.  The wind will soon dry the rest of our things, and once our work is done we can warm ourselves by running.  I would say strip altogether, but we may have to do another swim; for, as we agreed, there is no chance of our being able to return by the way we came.

Fastening the two doublets on his head, Hector lowered himself into the water, which was three feet below the level on which they stood.  He had fastened the rope across his shoulder.  As he expected, he found the water out of his depth, and at once struck out to the opposite side.  It was about forty feet across.  He found, on reaching the other side, that the wall was there nearly five feet above the water.  He undid the rope and threw up the hook.  At the second attempt it caught, and he climbed the side, and then in a low voice told Paolo to start.  Presently he heard a slight splash, followed by a gasp.  He hauled away rapidly on the rope, and in a couple of minutes Paolo stood beside him, shivering and gasping.

“Put your doublet on.  Now let us go forward as fast as we can.”  They climbed the steep slope to the top of the glacis, and then ran down until they were brought to a standstill by another moat.

“This is the one marked in the plan as dividing the fortifications of the town from those of the citadel.  Now we have another swim before us.  It is wider than the last, but is really no distance.  Give me your doublet again.”