"Flit, of course, but further than the old Tower. What's the time?"
He lifted Heritage's wrist and saw from his watch that it was
half-past three. "Mercy. It's nearly morning. Afore we put these
blagyirds away, they were conversing, at least Leon and Dobson were.
They said that they expected somebody every moment, but that the
car would be late. We've still got that Somebody to tackle.
Then Leon spoke to me in the dark, thinking I was Dobson, and
cursed the wind, saying it would keep the Danish brig from getting
in at dawn as had been intended. D'you see what that means?
The worst of the lot, the ones the ladies are in terror of,
are coming by sea. Ay, and they can return by sea. We thought that
the attack would be by land, and that even if they succeeded we could
hang on to their heels and follow them, till we got them stopped.
But that's impossible! If they come in from the water, they can
go out by the water, and there'll never be more heard tell of
the ladies or of you or me."

Dougal's face was once again sunk in gloom. "What's your plan, then?"

"We must get the ladies away from here--away inland, far from the sea.
The rest of us must stand a siege in the old Tower, so that the enemy
will think we're all there. Please God we'll hold out long enough for
help to arrive. But we mustn't hang about here. There's the man
Dobson mentioned--he may come any second, and we want to be away first.
Get the ladder, Dougal....Four of you take Mr. Heritage, and two come
with me and carry the ladies' things. It's no' raining, but the
wind's enough to take the wings off a seagull."

Dickson roused Saskia and her cousin, bidding them be ready in
ten minutes. Then with the help of the Die-Hards he proceeded