Page 154 - A Knight of the White Cross

overcome the eight or ten men who patrol the prison; and as we shall have
the arms of the guards, some thirty in number, we shall make quick work of

them.

"The two guards at the outside gates must, of course, be killed. Duplicates
of the keys have been made, and will be hidden in a spot known to some of
our party, close to the gate. Thus we have but to issue out and rush down, in

a body, to the port. I and another are to take the arms of our guard, and two
others are told off in each room to do the same. That will give us sixty

armed men. We shall make very short work of the guards at the gate
leading into the port. Then twenty of us are to run along the mole to Fort St.
Nicholas, twenty to the Tower of St. Michael, and twenty to that of St.

John. There will be, at the most, but three or four men keeping watch at
each fort, and thus we shall have in our possession the three forts

commanding the entrance to the harbour. There are, as you know, six
galleys manned by crews from our prison there. The crew of each galley
will embark upon it, and man the oars; the rest will divide themselves

among the galleys. Before starting, we shall seize and set fire to all other
galleys and ships in the port. The gangs in four of the rooms have been told

off specially for this duty. Before firing them, they are to take out such
provisions as they may find, and transport them to the galleys. We who take
the forts are provided with hammers and long nails, to drive down the vent

holes of the cannon; when we have done this, we are to wait until one of the
galleys fetches us off. Ten minutes should be ample time for all there is to

be done, and even if the alarm is given at once, we shall be away long
before the knights can be aroused from sleep, buckle on their armour, and
get down to the port."

Exclamations of delight and approbation burst from his hearers.

"Then it is only we of this prison who are in the plot?" one said.

"Yes. In the first place, it would have been too dangerous to attempt to free
all. In the second, the galleys would not carry them; we shall be closely

packed as it is, for there are over a thousand here. I hear that there was a
talk of freeing all, and that we, instead of embarking at first, should make