of the floor, throw a hasty glance around, and descend again. The
second risk was more serious. Since we could hear at night the
tramp of the sentry going his round of the battlements, it was
probable that, however quietly we might work, the sentry would hear
the sound of scraping as he passed above. If the wall had been
wainscotted, he might suppose such sounds to be caused by the
gnawing of mice; but there was no likelihood of mice making their
habitat in a thick stone wall. Further, even if we should so
contrive that our task of scraping was interrupted when the sentry
passed, there was still the danger that the sound might attract the
attention of the men in the adjoining dormitory. If they should get
any suspicion of what was toward, it would soon be common talk
among the whole body of prisoners, and some whisper of it would
certainly reach the ears of the guard.

In order to lessen this risk, Joe and I decided to begin our work
at a stone measuring three feet by two, in the right-hand corner of
the dormitory, farthest removed from the partition dividing us from
the next, and a foot or two above the floor, so that a bed could be
pushed against the wall and hide all signs of our operations in
case a sudden visit of inspection was made.

These preliminaries having been settled by Joe and myself, the time
was come for taking our roommates into our confidence. I did not
disguise from myself that we were staking a great deal on their
loyalty, and even more on their silence, for the slightest whisper
of the plot outside our own little company would be fatal. There
were ten of us bandsmen altogether. At first I thought of speaking
to the men individually, and thus testing their courage and
enterprise. But on reflection I decided that what was most
requisite to our success was a corporate spirit, which could be
best engendered by opening the matter to them as a body.
Accordingly, one evening, when we were assembled in the dormitory
for a practice, I took the fateful plunge.

I am not an orator, and I shall not set down here the words in
which I addressed them. Suffice it to say that they listened very
attentively, not at first perceiving the full drift of my meaning,
so careful was I to feel my way with them. They held me in some
special consideration, which I no doubt owed partly to Joe
Punchard, who had told them something of my story, and when at
length I declared plainly our intention to escape, asked them if
they