"If we sit down one on each side against the wall, a hundred men might pass along without noticing us." "Which side shall we sit, Desmond ?" "We will sit this side," the lieutenant replied.

"If we were the other side a man might possibly wrench himself way from our grasp, and might outrun us, but on this side of the gate he couldn't do so; for even if he did break away he would have to run back toward the village, the gate would stop his going the other way." Accordingly the young officers took their posts against the wall, one on either side of the gate, and with their swords drawn awaited the coming of a messenger to the Red Captain.
"There is no chance of any one being here for another twenty minutes," Desmond said.

"The sergeant will not rouse the men up till a quarter to six, therefore no one is likely to come along until within a few minutes of the hour.

It's precious cold here, though the wall does shelter us from the wind a bit; still it's not a lively job having to wait here half an hour, with the thermometer somewhere below freezing point." The time passed slowly.

Occasionally they exchanged a few words in low tones, but as the time approached when they knew that the sergeant would be going his rounds to call the men they spoke less.
"It must be nearly six o'clock now," Desmond said at last.