“These are clumsy weapons,” Malcolm said.  “You had best fit short handles to them, so as to make them into double handed swords.”

They were unable to travel far, for all were exhausted with the sufferings they had gone through, but they kept on until they came upon a village which had been fired when the troops marched through.  The walls of a little church were alone standing.  It had, like the rest of the village, been burned, but the shell still remained.

“So far as I can see,” Malcolm said, “the tower has escaped.  Had it been burned we should see through the windows.  We may find shelter in the belfry.”

On reaching the church they found that the entrance to the belfry tower was outside the church, and to this, no doubt, it owed its escape from the fire which had destroyed the main edifice.  The door was strong and defied their efforts to break it in.

“I must fire my pistol through the lock,” Malcolm said.  “I do not like doing so, for the sound may reach the ears of any peasants in the neighbourhood; but we must risk it, for the cold is extreme, and to lie down in the snow would be well nigh certain death.”

He placed his pistol to the keyhole and fired.  The lock at once yielded and the party entered the door.

“Before we mount,” Malcolm said, “let each pick up one of these blocks of stone which have fallen from the wall.  We will wedge the door from behind, and can then sleep secure against a surprise.”

When the door was closed one of the men, who was a musketeer, struck some sparks from a flint and steel on to a slow match which he carried in his jerkin, and by its glow they were enabled to look around them.  The stone steps began to ascend close to the door, and by laying the stones between the bottom step and the door they wedged the latter firmly in its place.  They then ascended the stairs, and found themselves in a room some ten feet square, in which hung the bell which had called the village to prayers.  It hung from some beams which were covered with a boarded floor, and a rough ladder led to a trapdoor, showing that there was another room above.  The floor of the room in which they stood was of stone.

“Now, lads,” Malcolm said, “two of you make your way up that ladder and rip up some of the planks of the flooring.  See if there are any windows or loopholes in the chamber above, and if so stuff your jerkins into them; we will close up those here.  In a few minutes we will have a roaring fire; but we must beware lest a gleam of light be visible without, for this belfry can be seen for miles round.

Some of the boards were soon split up into fragments; but before the light was applied to them Malcolm carefully examined each window and loophole to be sure that they were perfectly stopped.  Then the slow match was placed in the centre of a number of pieces of dry and rotten wood.  One of the men kneeling down blew lustily, and in a few seconds a flame sprang up.  The wood was now heaped on, and a bright fire was soon blazing high.