Dick and his men were thus excluded from any farther following , unless they should scale the wall and thus put their necks in a trap . They sat down in a tuft of furze and waited . The red glow of the torches moved up and down and to and fro within the enclosure , as if the link bearers steadily patrolled the garden . Twenty minutes passed , and then the whole party issued forth again upon the down ; and Sir Daniel and the baron , after an elaborate salutation , separated and turned severally homeward , each with his own following of men and lights . As soon as the sound of their steps had been swallowed by the wind , Dick got to his feet as briskly as he was able , for he was stiff and aching with the cold . `` Capper , ye will give me a back up , '' he said . They advanced , all three , to the wall ; Capper stooped , and Dick , getting upon his shoulders , clambered on to the cope-stone . `` Now , Greensheve , '' whispered Dick , `` follow me up here ; lie flat upon your face , that ye may be the less seen ; and be ever ready to give me a hand if I fall foully on the other side . '' And so saying he dropped into the garden . It was all pitch dark ; there was no light in the house . The wind whistled shrill among the poor shrubs , and the surf beat upon the beach ; there was no other sound . Cautiously Dick footed it forth , stumbling among bushes , and groping with his hands ; and presently the crisp noise of gravel underfoot told him that he had struck upon an alley . Here he paused , and taking his crossbow from where he kept it concealed under his long tabard , he prepared it for instant action , and went forward once more with greater resolution and assurance . The path led him straight to the group of buildings . All seemed to be sorely dilapidated : the windows of the house were secured by crazy shutters ; the stables were open and empty ; there was no hay in the hay-loft , no corn in the corn-box . Any one would have supposed the place to be deserted . But Dick had good reason to think otherwise . He continued his inspection , visiting the offices , trying all the windows . At length he came round to the sea-side of the house , and there , sure enough , there burned a pale light in one of the upper windows . He stepped back a little way , till he thought he could see the movement of a shadow on the wall of the apartment .
Then he remembered that , in the stable , his XXXXX hand had rested for a moment on a ladder , and he returned with all despatch to bring it .
burned came deserted give groping kept swallowed taking trying turned