You see there is no time to lose,
for Llewellyn and his men may be back to-night. If they find Oswald's party
this morning they will return at once, if they don't they may not be back
till the morning. But we cannot count on that, what has to be done must be
done at once."
He sat thinking a little longer. "We must cut down a couple of trees and
make a ladder, Beorn. The pine-trees grew very close together where we
passed through them a quarter of a mile before we got here, and were very
slender for their height. We have no axes or we could fell a couple of them
in a few minutes; but even if we had them, we should not dare use them, for
the chances are that the villagers are forbidden to cut down trees anywhere
near the castle, and the sound might bring people up from below to see who
was chopping. I was thinking of burning two of them down, but in this dry
weather the flames might run up them, and we should get a blaze that would
bring all the villagers up here." He beckoned to Osgod, and when he came up
told him that Beorn and he had agreed to try and take the place."
"That is good," Osgod said joyfully. "I have been thinking of it, but I did
not see how you were to climb that wall."
"We must cut down two young pine-trees, but we must not chop them down."
"It would take a long time with our knives," Osgod said doubtfully. "It is
easy enough to cut through a pole three inches thick, but when it comes to
nine or ten it is a different matter.
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