"It's quite impossible to get down the steps," said Dick.
"They've made sure we shan't do that!
And you know we haven't any idea where the second entrance is.
We only know it was somewhere near the tower."
"Let's see if we can find it," said Anne eagerly.
They set off to the tower on the right of the castle— but it was quite clear that whatever entrance there might have been once, it was gone now!
The castle had fallen in very much just there, and there were piles of old broken stones everywhere, quite impossible to move.
The children soon gave up the search.
"Blow!" said Dick.
"How I do hate to think of poor old Julian and George prisoners down below, and we can't even help them!
Oh, Anne— can't you think of something to do?"
Anne sat down on a stone and thought hard.
She was very worried.
Then she brightened up a little and turned to Dick.
"Dick! I suppose— I suppose we couldn't possibly climb down the well, could we?" she asked.
"You know it goes past the dungeons— and there's an opening on the dungeon floor from the well-shaft, because don't you remember we were able to put in our heads and shoulders and look right up the well to the top?
Could we get past that slab, do you think— the one that I sat on just now, that has fallen across the well?"
Dick thought it all over.
He went to the well and peered down it.
"You know, I believe you are right, Anne," he said at last.
"We might be able to squeeze past that slab. There's just about room.
I don't know how far the iron ladder goes down though."
"Oh, Dick— do let's try," said Anne.
"It's our only chance of rescuing the others!"
"Well," said Dick,
'I'll try it— but not you, Anne.
I'm not going to have you falling down that well.
The ladder might be broken half-way down— anything might happen.
You must stay up here and I'll see what I can do."
"You will be careful, won't you?" said Anne, anxiously.
"Take a rope with you, Dick, so that if you need one you won't have to climb all the way up again."
"Good idea," said Dick.
He went to the little stone room and got one of the ropes they had put there.
He wound it round and round his waist. Then he went back to Anne.
"Well, here goes!" he said, in a cheerful voice.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be all right."
Anne was rather white. She was terribly afraid that Dick might fall right down to the bottom of the well.
She watched him climb down the iron ladder to the slab of stone.
He tried his best to squeeze by it, but it was very difficult. At last he managed it and after that Anne could see him no more. But she could hear him, for he kept calling up to her.
"Ladder's still going strong, Anne!
I'm all right.
Can you hear me?"
"Yes," shouted Anne down the well, hearing her voice echo in a funny hollow manner.
"Take care, Dick.
I do hope the ladder goes all the way down."
"I think it does!" yelled back Dick.
Then he gave a loud exclamation. "Blow!
It's broken just here. Broken right off.
Or else it ends. I'll have to use my rope."
There was a silence as Dick unwound the rope from his waist.