Suddenly he felt his antagonist collapse; the dagger dropped from his hand, the other arm relaxed its hold, and he fell a lifeless mass.
"Thank you, Paolo.

You were but just in time.

The fellow was too strong for me.

Now let us slip down the inside of the wall as quickly as possible." A minute later they both stood at the foot of the wall, the hook was shaken off, and they proceeded along the wall until they came to a street.
"It is not more than two or three hundred yards to the outer wall," Hector whispered.
Whether there were sentinels or not in the street they knew not.

If so, they had withdrawn themselves into deep doorways to avoid the blinding snow, and the wind drowned the slight sound made by their feet on the soft snow.
In a short time they reached the outer wall, crept along it until they found the steps leading up, crossed it in safety, fixed their hook, and rapidly descended.