When the dinner was over, and the usual carousal had begun, and
he knew there was no chance of any of the freebooters coming into
the room, he spread out the hide on the floor, cut off the edges,
and trimmed it up till it was nearly circular in form, and then began
to cut a strip two inches wide round and round till he reached the
centre. This gave him a thong of over a hundred feet long. Tying
one end to a ring in the wall he twisted the long strip until it
assumed the form of a rope, which was, he was sure, strong enough
to bear many times his weight.
This part of the work was done after the freebooters had retired to
rest. When he had finished cutting the hide he went in as usual and
sat down with them as they drank, as he wished to appear contented
with his position. The freebooters were discussing an attack upon
a village some thirty miles away. It lay in a secluded position,
and had so far escaped pillage either by the armies or wandering
bands. The captain said he had learned that the principal farmer
was a well-to-do man with a large herd of cattle, some good horses,
and a well stocked house. It was finally agreed that the band
should the next day carry out another raid which had already been
decided upon, and that they should on the day following that sack
and burn Glogau.
As soon as the majority of the band had started in the morning Malcolm
made his way with his rope to the back of the castle, fastened it
to the window, and launched himself over the rock, which, although
too steep to climb, was not perpendicular; and holding by the rope
Malcolm had no difficulty in lowering himself down.
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