"They make their rounds... infrequently." Only often enough to keep a prisoner alive. One prisoner. Now that John has company in this pit, they certainly won't be coming to throw down any food. "We should have an opportunity soon, but after that? It will be a long and difficult stretch of waiting."

The tactic is frankly pathetic, juvenile. John already knows this game: they will be given insufficient water to keep two human bodies alive, and the King will treat it as a kindness, that he has so generously given John an excuse.

"We must not fail in this attempt. And we don't even have a weapon."

They could pack the bucket with soil and swing it with some force, but he will not suggest it. The King would find that far too funny.