Have you heard the noise?" asked his brother as he entered.
"I knew it would come," he replied, and coolly continued to pace the room.
"And are you not preparing for defense?"
"To what purpose?--they will kill us all. I am quite prepared for what must inevitably happen.""But it will not happen if we defend ourselves courageously. We are eight men--the walls of the castle are strong--the besiegers have no guns, and no place to protect them; we may hold out for days until assistance comes from Kolozsvar.""We shall lose," replied Tamas coldly, and without the slightest change of countenance.
"Then I shall defend the castle myself. I have a wife and children, our old grandmother and our sisters are here, and I shall protect them, if I remain alone."At that instant Barnabas and old Simon entered with the widowed sister.
Barnabas had a huge twenty-pound iron club in his hand; grinding his teeth, and with eyes darting fire, he seemed capable of meeting single-handed the whole troop.
He was followed by the widow, with two loaded pistols in her hand, and old Simon, who entreated them not to use violence or exasperate the enemy.
"Conduct yourselves bravely!" replied the widow dryly; "let us not die in vain.""Come with me--we shall send them all to hell!" cried Barnabas, swinging his club in his herculean arm as if it had been a reed.
"Let us not be too hasty," interrupted Jozsef; we will stand here in the tower, from whence we can shoot every one that approaches, and if they break in, we can meet them on the stairs.""For Heaven's sake!" cried Simon, "what are you going to do? If you kill one of them they will massacre us all. Speak to them peaceably--promise them wine--take them to the cellar--give them money--try to pacify them! Nephew Tamas, you will speak to them?"continued the old man, turning to Tamas, who still paced up and down, without the slightest visible emotion.
"Pacification and resistance are equally vain," he replied coldly;"we are inevitably lost!"
"We have no time for delay," said Jozsef impatiently; "take the arms from the wall, Barnabas, give one to each servant--let them stand at the back windows of the house, we two are enough here.
Sister, stand between the windows, that the stones may not hit you;and when you load, do not strike the balls too far in, that our aim may be the more secure!""No! no!--I cannot let you fire," exclaimed the old man, endeavoring to drag Jozsef from the window. "You must not fire yet--only remain quiet.""Go to the hurricane, old man! would you have us use holy water against a shower of stones?"At that instant several large stones were dashed through the windows, breaking the furniture against which they fell.
"Only wait," said Simon, "until I speak with them. I am sure Ishall pacify them. I can speak their language and I know them all--just let me go to them."
"A vain idea! If you sue for mercy they will certainly kill you, but if you show courage, you may bring them to their senses. You had better stay and take a gun."But the old man was already out of hearing, and hurrying downstairs, he went out of a back door into the court, which the Wallachians had not yet taken possession of.
They were endeavoring to break down one of the stone pillars of the iron gate with their axes and hammers, and had already succeeded in making an aperture, through which one of the gang now climbed.
Old Simon recognized him. "Lupey, my son, what do you want here?"said the old man. "Have we ever offended you? Do you forget all that I have done for you?--how I cured your wife when she was so ill, and got you off from the military; and how, when your ox died, I gave you two fine bullocks to replace it? Do you not know me, my son Lupey?""I am not your son Lupey now; I am a 'malcontent!'" cried the Wallachian, aiming a blow with a heavy hammer at the old man's head.
Uttering a deep groan, Simon fell lifeless to the ground.
The rest of the party saw the scene from the tower.
Barnabas rushed from the room like a maddened tiger, while Jozsef, retiring cautiously behind the embrasure of the window, aimed his gun as they were placing his uncle's head upon a spike, and shot the first who raised it. Another seized it, and the next instant he, too, fell to the earth; another and another, as many as attempted to raise the head, till, finally, none dared approach.
The widow loaded the guns while Tamas sat quietly in an armchair.
Meanwhile Barnabas had hurried to the attic, where several large fragments of iron had been stowed away, and dragging them to a window which overlooked the entrance, he waited until the gang had assembled round the door, and were trying to break in; when lifting an enormous piece with gigantic strength, he dropped it on the heads of the besiegers.
Fearful cries arose and the gang, who were at the door, fled right and left, leaving four or five of their number crushed beneath the ponderous mass.
The next moment they returned with redoubled fury, dashing stones against the windows and the roof, while the door resounded with the blows of their clubs.
Notwithstanding the stones which were flying round him, Barnabas stood at the window dashing heavy iron masses, and killing two or three men every time.
His brother meanwhile continued firing from the tower, and not a ball was aimed in vain. The besiegers had lost a great number, and began to fall back, after fruitless efforts to break in the door, when a footman entered breathless to inform Barnabas that the Wallachians were beginning to scale the opposite side of the castle with ladders, and that the servants were unable to resist them.
Barnabas rushed to the spot.
Two servants lay mortally wounded in one of the back rooms, through the windows of which the Wallachians were already beginning to enter, while another ladder had been placed against the opposite window, which they were beginning to scale as Barnabas entered.
