Thirteen at Table | Page 8

two are enough here. Sister, stand
between the windows, that the stones may not hit you; and when you
load, do not strike the balls too far in, that our aim may be the more
secure!"
"No! no!--I cannot let you fire," exclaimed the old man, endeavoring to
drag J—zsef from the window. "You must not fire yet--only remain
quiet."
"Go to the hurricane, old man! would you have us use holy water
against a shower of stones?"
At that instant several large stones were dashed through the windows,
breaking the furniture against which they fell.
"Only wait," said Simon, "until I speak with them. I am sure I shall
pacify them. I can speak their language and I know them all-- just let
me go to them."
"A vain idea! If you sue for mercy they will certainly kill you, but if
you show courage, you may bring them to their senses. You had better
stay and take a gun."
But the old man was already out of hearing, and hurrying downstairs,
he went out of a back door into the court, which the Wallachians had
not yet taken possession of.
They were endeavoring to break down one of the stone pillars of the

iron gate with their axes and hammers, and had already succeeded in
making an aperture, through which one of the gang now climbed.
Old Simon recognized him. "Lupey, my son, what do you want here?"
said the old man. "Have we ever offended you? Do you forget all that I
have done for you?--how I cured your wife when she was so ill, and got
you off from the military; and how, when your ox died, I gave you two
fine bullocks to replace it? Do you not know me, my son Lupey?"
"I am not your son Lupey now; I am a 'malcontent!'" cried the
Wallachian, aiming a blow with a heavy hammer at the old man's head.
Uttering a deep groan, Simon fell lifeless to the ground.
The rest of the party saw the scene from the tower.
Barnab‡s rushed from the room like a maddened tiger, while J—zsef,
retiring cautiously behind the embrasure of the window, aimed his gun
as they were placing his uncle's head upon a spike, and shot the first
who raised it. Another seized it, and the next instant he, too, fell to the
earth; another and another, as many as attempted to raise the head, till,
finally, none dared approach.
The widow loaded the guns while Tam‡s sat quietly in an armchair.
Meanwhile Barnab‡s had hurried to the attic, where several large
fragments of iron had been stowed away, and dragging them to a
window which overlooked the entrance, he waited until the gang had
assembled round the door, and were trying to break in; when lifting an
enormous piece with gigantic strength, he dropped it on the heads of
the besiegers.
Fearful cries arose and the gang, who were at the door, fled right and
left, leaving four or five of their number crushed beneath the ponderous
mass.
The next moment they returned with redoubled fury, dashing stones
against the windows and the roof, while the door resounded with the

blows of their clubs.
Notwithstanding the stones which were flying round him, Barnab‡s
stood at the window dashing heavy iron masses, and killing two or
three men every time.
His brother meanwhile continued firing from the tower, and not a ball
was aimed in vain. The besiegers had lost a great number, and began to
fall back, after fruitless efforts to break in the door, when a footman
entered breathless to inform Barnab‡s that the Wallachians were
beginning to scale the opposite side of the castle with ladders, and that
the servants were unable to resist them.
Barnab‡s rushed to the spot.
Two servants lay mortally wounded in one of the back rooms, through
the windows of which the Wallachians were already beginning to enter,
while another ladder had been placed against the opposite window,
which they were beginning to scale as Barnab‡s entered.
"Here, wretches!" he roared furiously, and, seizing the ladder with both
hands, shook it so violently that the men were precipitated from it, and
then lifting it with supernatural strength, he dashed it against the
opposite one, which broke with the force of the weight thrown against
it, the upper part falling backwards with the men upon it, while one of
the party remained hanging from the window-sill, and, after immense
exertions to gain a footing, he too fell to the earth.
Barnab‡s rushed into the next room grinding his teeth, his lips foaming,
and his face of a livid hue; so appalling was his appearance, that one of
the gang, who had been the first to enter by the window, turned pale
with