74 Biggles Takes it Rough by Captain W E Johns

Author:Captain W E Johns [Captain W E Johns]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-04-27T19:52:51+00:00

CHAPTER 8

TRAPPED

As they walked on to the far end of this dismal chamber, their footsteps making a hollow sound on the stone floor, Rod said: ‘There’s no other room anything like this size. I figure it must take up at least half of the ground floor. The kitchen’s a fair size, as I suppose it had to be to cook for the number of people, servants, and guards who would have to be quartered in the castle to defend it against sudden attack; but most of the rooms are on the small side, particularly upstairs. They didn’t believe in wasting space on sleeping quarters.’

The exit from the great hall was by another, rather small, arched opening. There was no door, and there were no signs that there ever had been one. It opened into a narrow corridor with one or two small rooms on each side. Everything was bare stone, plain and cheerless.

‘Why did they have to make this corridor so narrow?’ asked Bertie, as they walked on, of necessity having to fall into single file.

‘I imagine that was all part of the defence system,’ answered Rod. ‘If an enemy got inside he’d have to fight for every inch of ground. Utility came first, comfort second. It’s the same with the stairway to the upper floor. Here it is,’ he went on, as they came to a narrow flight of stone steps spiralling upwards. There was no handrail, so a false step would mean a fall to the stone floor below. ‘Notice which way the spiral winds,’ continued Rod. ‘Always from right to left. Which means that a man defending the steps would have his right arm, his sword arm, free, while a fellow trying to get up would be knocking his elbow and banging his weapon against the wall.’

‘You seem to have made a study of these things,’ bantered Biggles.

‘I’ve taken an interest since I became the owner of a medieval castle. Wouldn’t you?’

‘I’m not likely to become the owner of a castle, medieval or modern,’ answered Biggles lightly. ‘As we’re here we might as well have a look round upstairs.’

‘Just as you like, but you won’t find anything there. I looked the last time I was here.’

‘I’d like to check how much of the island can be seen from the roof. Just a minute, though. What’s this?’ Biggles was looking at a small door under the stairway. It was of old oak, reinforced with horizontal bands of iron. ‘That would take a bit of breaking down,’ he observed. ‘What’s the other side?’

‘I’ve no idea,’ replied Rod.

‘Couldn’t you get in?’

‘No. It’s locked — or it was when I came here. There’s no key. I imagine it leads to the cellars where food could be stored against a siege. Some such storage place would be necessary. Or it might be the way to the dungeons, for prisoners. But I’m only guessing.’

Stooping a little, Biggles examined the door, particularly the keyhole. ‘I’ll tell you something,’ he said in a curious voice. ‘The door’s old, no doubt about that, but there’s nothing ancient about the lock.

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