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"Regnarte," I said, upon an impulse, "you have guns in this house?" He held up his fingers and opened them many times to express a great number. "One, two, three hundred guns," said he. "Excellency has them all; but here one gun much bigger than that. You seamen, you shall know how to fire him, captain. Excellency say that no man take the gate while that gun there.
"Six," said I to the man before me; "and you make seven. How many more in this place now, Benno Regnarte?" He held up his hands and began to count. "In the engine-room one, two, three," he said; "upon the ladder hereby two; at the great door two more. Seven men altogether, signor. Your party will be more than that?"
And yet it had to be dared; a man must go up that night for a woman's sake. Well, I took off my boots at the ladder's foot, and thrusting my pistol into my waist-belt I spoke a warning word to Peter Bligh. "This," said I, taking from Regnarte the key I needed, "this opens the iron doors you will meet down yonder. If misfortune happens to me, go straight through and take my place.
Like three who stumbled upon a precipice we halted there at the sea's edge, and looked at one another to ask if such great good fortune could, indeed, be ours. I have told you before that the Italian was at our heels when we gained the rock, and it was to him now that I addressed my question. "You said there were two at the gate, Regnarte. Where are they, then, and what keeps them?"
I knew that this man was the first between me and my liberty, and without a moment's hesitation I crossed the hall; and aware of all the risks I took, understanding that a word of mine might bring the guard down from the sea, I clapped a pistol to the sentry's head and let him know my pleasure. "Open that gate, Benno Regnarte!" said I.
"The iron ladder by which the men come in," I asked of the Italian, suddenly, "where is that, Regnarte?" I tell you that two hold it, and they have guns. You cannot go, captain! What good the key when men have guns?" "We'll see about that," said I. And cocking my pistol I strode to the door he indicated. It was an iron door, opening inward to a small apartment cut out of the solid rock.
He just stood there like a shivering fool. "Benno Regnarte, open that gate!" I repeated, seeing that I had the name all right; "I'll give you half a minute." The threat brought him to his senses. Without a word, a sign, a sound, he opened the iron doors and waited for me to go through. "Now," said I, "give me those keys and march on.
Well, she stood for a little while, hesitating about it, and then she said, as though she had just remembered it: "Benno Regnarte is the guard, but he has gone away to have his supper. I borrowed the key and came through. If you go in, he will not question you. The governor may be on his yacht, or he may be in his room. I do not know. How foolish it all is how foolish, Captain Begg!
They answered "Aye, aye!" and Dolly, leaping up to the gun, began to give his orders just for all the world as though he skippered the ship and I was but a passenger. "We'll put Regnarte in front," says he, "so that we can keep an eye on him. Let Peter hail them from where he's standing now; the rock covers him, captain, and the shield will take care of you and me.
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