“Wait!  Why not do the whole job ourselves?”

“How-what do you mean?”

“Why should we alarm anybody?  We know the plans as well as these scoundrels themselves.  Why not follow them right into the castle, capture them red-handed, and then do the alarming?  I’m in for saving the Princess of Graustark with our own hands and right under the noses of her vaunted guardsmen, as Michael says.”  Lorry was thrilled by the spirit of adventure.  His hand gripped his friend’s arm and his face was close to his ear.  “It is the grandest opportunity two human beings ever had to distinguish themselves!”

“Great heaven, man!  We can’t do such a thing!” gasped Anguish.

“It’s the easiest thing in the world.  Besides, if we fail, we have nothing to lose.  If we succeed, see what we’ve done!  Don’t hesitate, old man!  Come on!  Come on!  We’ll take ’em ourselves, as sure as fate.  Have you no nerve?  What kind of an American are you?  This chance won’t come in ten lifetimes!  Good God, man, are we not equal to those two scoundrels?”

“Two?  There are at least ten of them!”

“You fool!  The three guards are disposed of in advance, two of the Viennese are left with the horses, two are chucked off under the princess’ window, and one stands at the gate.  We can slug the man at the gate, the fellows under the window are harmless, and that leaves but our two friends and the cook.  We have every advantage in the world.  Can’t you see?”

“You are right!  Come on!  I’ll risk it with you.  We will save the Princess of Graustark!”

“Don’t you see it will be just as easy for us to enter the castle as for these robbers?  The way will be clear, and will be kept clear.  Jove, man, we need not be more than thirty seconds behind them.  Is your pistol all right?”

By this time the two men were speeding along the grassy stretch toward the road that ran beside the wall.  They looked to their pistols, and placed them carefully in outside coat pockets.

“We must throw away these heavy canes,” whispered the painter to his friend, who was a pace or so ahead.

“Keep it!  We’ll need one of them to crack that fellow’s head at the gate.  ’Gad, it’s dark along here!”

“How the devil are we to know where to go?”

“We’ll stop when we come to the gate where we climbed up the wall to-day.  That is the only entrance I saw along the west wall, and it is near the castle.  Just as soon as the gang enters that gate we’ll crawl up and get rid of the fellow who stands watch.”  It was so dark that they could barely see the roadway, and they found it necessary to cease talking as they slunk along beside the wall.  Occasionally they paused to listen, fearing that they might draw too close upon the men who had gone before.  At last they came to a big gate and halted.

“Is this the gate?” whispered Anguish.

“Sh!  Yes, I’m quite sure.  We are undoubtedly near the castle, judging by the distance we have come.  Let us cross the road and lie directly opposite.  Be careful!”