Having told him what he had seen, he sat looking at the castle.
"What are you thinking of, Wulf?" Beorn asked. "I suppose we had better
stop where we are till nightfall and then make eastward."
"I am thinking, in the first place, that it would cost a great number of
lives to take that place by assault."
"That it would," Beorn agreed. "We have seen no place of anything like
equal strength in Wales, or indeed anywhere else."
"There is no doubt about that," Wulf agreed. "If well defended it ought to
hold out for weeks, for when we have taken that wall in front of us only a
third of the work has been done. In the next place, I am thinking that
Llewellyn and the greater part of his garrison are away in the hills."
Beorn nodded.
"And that being so, it seems to me that the best plan will be to take it
ourselves."
Beorn looked at his friend to see if he were serious, but there was no
smile on Wulf's face.
"Do you really mean it, Wulf?"
"Yes I mean it, certainly. What is to prevent our taking it? There may
never be such a good opportunity again. We have not seen a dozen men on the
walls, and I don't suppose there are fifty there altogether. But even if
there are a hundred, they will have no chance with our men if we are once
among them. You see the gates through those inner walls are open, and once
over this first one the place will be all open to us."
"That is true enough, but how in the world are we to climb that wall?"
"That is what I am puzzling over, Beorn.
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