"Who have you there, Carl?" one of the men asked as they rose and
approached the newcomers.

"A prisoner," Carl said, "whom the captain has appointed to the
honourable office of cook instead of old Rollo, whose food gets
harder and tougher every day. You are to keep a sharp eye over the
lad, who says he is a Scotch officer of the Swedes, and to shoot
him down if he attempts to escape."

"Why, I thought those Scots were very devils to fight," one of the
men said, "and this is but a boy. How comes he here?"

"He told the captain his story, and he believed it," Carl said
carelessly, "and the captain is not easily taken in. He was captured
by Tilly at New Brandenburg, which town we heard yesterday he
assaulted and sacked, killing every man of the garrison; but it
seems this boy put on a disguise, and being but a boy I suppose
passed unnoticed, and was taken off as a teamster with Tilly's
army. He gave them the slip, but as he has managed to fall into our
hands I don't know that he has gained much by the exchange. Now,
youngster, go up to the castle."

Having picketed his horse the man led the way up the steep hill.
When they reached the castle Malcolm saw that it was less ruined
than it had appeared to be from below. The battlements had indeed
crumbled away, and there were cracks and fissures in the upper parts
of the walls, but below the walls were still solid and unbroken,
and as the rock was almost precipitous, save at the point at which
a narrow path wound up to the entrance, it was still capable of