" The men were at once called to their feet, and the
relief effected.
"If an attack comes," Wulf said, as with Osgod he proceeded to walk
backwards and forwards along the line of sentries, "I fancy it will be just
before daybreak. Many of them may come from long distances, and their
leader would wait until the last moment in order to gather as large a force
together as possible. Besides, men sleep heaviest at that time, and they
would reckon that hour as best for a surprise." As they walked they
frequently paused to listen intently, and though once or twice they thought
they heard distant sounds, these might be caused by the passage of a wild
animal through the bushes. The sentries were all vigilant. It was the first
time that the Sussex lads had been in face of an enemy, and the stillness
of the night, the sombre forest in front of them, and the possibility of a
savage and unknown foe lurking there, kept them thoroughly on the alert.
Once or twice Wulf and Osgod went forward to examine some bush that had
seemed to the imagination of a sentry to have moved, but in each case the
alarm was groundless.
"It must be nearly three o'clock now, Osgod," Wulf said at last. "Another
half hour will decide it. I shall be glad when the morning comes, for this
work is trying, and I keep on fancying I hear noises."
"I fancy so too," Osgod said. "It seems to me like a sort of whisper or
rustling of leaves."
"That is just what it seems to me, Osgod.
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