Warily
I pushed the door a trifle wider to admit my body. A hinge gave
out a resentful groan. One of the men stirred, and my heart stood
still. I cursed myself for a fool to have thus jeopardized our
chances for escape; but there was nothing for it now but to see
the adventure through.
With a spring as swift and as noiseless as a tiger's I lit beside
the guardsman who had moved. My hands hovered about his throat
awaiting the moment that his eyes should open. For what seemed
an eternity to my overwrought nerves I remained poised thus. Then
the fellow turned again upon his side and resumed the even respiration
of deep slumber.
Carefully I picked my way between and over the soldiers until I
had gained the rack at the far side of the room. Here I turned to
survey the sleeping men. All were quiet. Their regular breathing
rose and fell in a soothing rhythm that seemed to me the sweetest
music I ever had heard.
Gingerly I drew a long-sword from the rack. The scraping of
the scabbard against its holder as I withdrew it sounded like the
filing of cast iron with a great rasp, and I looked to see the room
immediately filled with alarmed and attacking guardsmen. But none
stirred.
The second sword I withdrew noiselessly, but the third clanked in
its scabbard with a frightful din. I knew that it must awaken some
of the men at least, and was on the point of forestalling their
attack by a rapid charge for the doorway, when again, to my intense
surprise, not a black moved.
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