A king 's name is good enough for me , though I bear it plain and have the name of no farm-midden to clap to the hind-end of it . '' And having administered this rebuke , as though it were something of a chief importance , he turned to examine our defences . The round-house was built very strong , to support the breaching of the seas . Of its five apertures , only the skylight and the two doors were large enough for the passage of a man . The doors , besides , could be drawn close : they were of stout oak , and ran in grooves , and were fitted with hooks to keep them either shut or open , as the need arose . The one that was already shut I secured in this fashion ; but when I was proceeding to slide to the other , Alan stopped me . `` David , '' said he -- `` for I cannae bring to mind the name of your landed estate , and so will make so bold as to call you David -- that door , being open , is the best part of my defences . '' `` It would be yet better shut , '' says I. `` Not so , David , '' says he . `` Ye see , I have but one face ; but so long as that door is open and my face to it , the best part of my enemies will be in front of me , where I would aye wish to find them . '' Then he gave me from the rack a cutlass -LRB- of which there were a few besides the firearms -RRB- , choosing it with great care , shaking his head and saying he had never in all his life seen poorer weapons ; and next he set me down to the table with a powder-horn , a bag of bullets and all the pistols , which he bade me charge . `` And that will be better work , let me tell you , '' said he , `` for a gentleman of decent birth , than scraping plates and raxing * drams to a wheen tarry sailors . '' * Reaching . Thereupon he stood up in the midst with his face to the door , and drawing his great sword , made trial of the room he had to wield it in . `` I must stick to the point , '' he said , shaking his head ; `` and that 's a pity , too . It does n't set my genius , which is all for the upper guard . And , now , '' said he , `` do you keep on charging the pistols , and give heed to me . '' I told him I would listen closely . My chest was tight , my mouth dry , the light dark to my eyes ; the thought of the numbers that were soon to leap in upon us kept my heart in a flutter : and the sea , which I heard washing round the brig , and where I thought my dead body would be cast ere morning , ran in my mind strangely . `` First of all , '' said he , `` how many are against us ? '' I reckoned them up ; and such was the hurry of my mind , I had to cast the numbers twice .
`` Fifteen , '' said I. XXXXX whistled .
Alan First apertures defences drams farm-midden hind-end morning round-house wheen