At this they all
emerged from the forest. Captain Blumenfels, carefully scanning the
shore, saw them at once, and turned the boat's head towards the spot
where they stood.
The bags of gold were bolted away in the stout lockers extending on each
side of the cabin. While this was being done, Roland gave minute
instructions to the captain regarding the next item in the programme,
and once more entered the forest with his men.
The task before them was more difficult than the spoiling of Rheinstein,
because the huge bulk of Falkenberg stood on a summit of treeless rock;
the Castle itself, a gigantic, oblong gray mass, with a slender square
campanile some distance from it, rising high above its battlements on
the slope that went down towards the Rhine, forming thus an excellent
watch-tower. But although the conical hill of rock was bare of the large
trees that surrounded Rheinstein, there were plenty of bowlders and
shrubbery behind which cover could be sought. On this occasion the
marauding guild could not secure a position on a level with the
battlements of the Castle, as had been the case behind Rheinstein, and,
furthermore, they were compelled to make their dash for the gate up-hill.
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