The Young Castellan Part 21

"Hope the stones won't strike a light, sir," said Ben, in a low growl.

Roy felt as if a hand had suddenly compressed his heart, and he peered wildly through the door-way, half expecting to see a tiny spark or two, as a dull, grating sound arose; but the only sparks the door made were those glittering in his own eyes, and he drew a deeper, harder breath as the door ceased to move.

"Now, we've got to be careful, or we shall be hitting against one another, sir! Let me see: there's one step down, and then you're in a place like a dairy, with two sets of stone shelves,--one just above the floor, to keep it out of the damp; the other just about as high as a man's breast,--and there's kegs of powder piled-up on them all. You stand still, and I'll go in."

"No; let me," said Roy, though why he said this puzzled the boy himself, when the exciting minutes had pa.s.sed.

"Well, sir, you're master, and if you'd rather, of course you can. But I don't mind going if you like."

"I'll go," said Roy, huskily, and, stretching out his hands in the now profound darkness, he felt for and touched the side of the entrance, then made a step forward to place his stockinged foot down upon the cold stone floor, which struck up like ice. Bringing forward his second foot, he reached out for the side of the vault, and found the place just as his companion had described, for his hands came in contact with small wooden barrels, neatly piled one upon the other on a great stone shelf, beneath which was another shelf laden in a similar way.

"Feel anything, sir?" said Ben, from the entrance.

"Yes: barrels, numbers of them," said Roy, huskily, his voice sounding a mere whisper in the darkness. "They go on--yes, to here. It is only a small vault."

"Yes, sir, but big enough. Try the other side now."

Three steps took Roy there, and his hands touched barrels again piled-up in the same way, and he whispered his experience.

"That's it, sir; just what I thought. But what we want to know now is, are they full? Would you mind lifting one, or shall I come and do it?"

Roy shuddered a little, but he did not shrink. Stretching out his hands, he took a careful hold of one of the kegs, raised it to find it fairly heavy, and then replaced it.

"Try another, sir."

Roy felt less compunction in lifting the second, and this being replaced, he began to sound others with his knuckles, to find that they all gave forth the same dull dead note.

"That's all we want to know down here, Master Roy," said the old soldier at last; "and now I think we'd better get back and take a couple of the little kegs with us. I'd take one from each side, sir. You pa.s.s 'em to me and I'll carry 'em up safely. It wouldn't do to drop one in case it should go off."

These words, lightly spoken, made Roy thrill as he lifted down one of the kegs, getting his fingers tightly fitted to the ends, and then stood there in the black darkness, afraid to stir for fear he should strike his elbow against anything and jerk the keg to the floor.

"Got him, sir?"

"Yes," said Roy, hoa.r.s.ely. "Whereabouts are you?"

"Here, just at the door, sir; I haven't moved," was the reply.

"Reach out your hands, then, and take hold very carefully. Tell me when you've got it tight."

"Tight hold," said Ben, the next moment.

"Sure?"

"Yes, sir; let it go, and I'll carry it up."

Roy quitted his hold of the keg unwillingly, and his heart beat violently as he listened to the soft _pat, pat_, of his companion's feet, and thought of the consequences of a fall. Possibly one vivid flash and the whole place destroyed; and yet for years they had all been living so close to this terribly destructive power.

"If Ben should drop that keg!"

But Ben only set it down quietly a short distance from the top of the steps and descended.

"T'other one, sir, please," he said; and Roy placed this in the man's hands with the same shrinking feeling of reluctance.

It was carried up, and Roy stepped out, drawing the door after him, and after a few trials managing to close the two bars which secured the place.

"Don't want no help there, sir?"

"No; I have done it," was the reply; and Roy ascended the steps and waited for his companion to close the stone trap.

"Not a bad hole this to shut any one up in if we ever wanted to get rid of him, eh? He'd have to shout pretty hard to make any one hear."

"Don't talk; let's get away from the dreadful place," said Roy, whose face was wet with perspiration. "Can you carry both kegs?"

"Half a dozen if you'd range 'em, sir," replied Ben.

"Then I'll fasten the doors after us; and, mind this, the magazine must always be most carefully locked up."

"You trust me for that, sir!" replied Ben. "I know too well what powder can do to try any tricks or trust anybody with it but myself. Why, do you know, sir, what would happen if I gave a fellow like Tom Rogers a keg to carry?"

"No; how can I tell?" said Roy, shortly.

"Well, I can, sir: he'd set it up on end, sit upon it, and take out a flint and steel to light his pipe as like as not."

"Don't talk any more, please, Ben," said the boy as he proceeded to lock one of the doors.

"No, sir; I only did it so as to keep you from thinking about what we've been doing. I suppose one would get used to it, but it does seem to me rather ugly work even to an old soldier."

"Where are we to put these two kegs?" said Roy.

"In the big closet in the armoury, sir," replied Ben. "Don't you fidget about them; they shall be all right, for that's my part of the place, and n.o.body goes in there without my leave."

"It's impossible to help feeling a little uncomfortable about them, Ben, but I know you'll take care."

"I just think I will, sir. I'm very particular about no harm coming to Sergeant Benjamin Martlet; and as to doing anything that might mean risks for my lady--but there, I needn't say nothing about that. You can come and see me put 'em away."

Roy insisted upon carrying one of the kegs, in spite of the old soldier's opposition, not to relieve him of the load, but as a lesson to himself in the art of getting used to the dangerous composition. In addition, it had occurred to him that he should have to be present when the barrels were opened, and the gun or guns fired to test their utility and strength after lying by for so many years. Roy had never even heard a big gun fired, and he told himself that it would not do for him to display the slightest dread before the men.

Consequently he hid his nervousness, and helped to deposit the kegs in the great cupboard which contained Ben's tools and cleaning apparatus.

"There!" said that individual, "as soon as we've had our parade, and dismissed the troops, we'll see to that powder, and find out what it's like."

He thrust the key into his pocket, buckled on his sword again, and, drawing himself up, asked the "captain" to lead the way to the entrance gate.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

MASTER PAWSON GIVES HIS OPINIONS.