e heard by my jailors. So
I now brought it to an end by reminding Uncle Moses of the part he
was to play on the morrow and giving him a message to Mistress
Lucy.

"Tell her that with God's help I shall be free tomorrow, and beg
her to shut herself in her room, and see no one. If mortal man can
save her, she shall be saved."

And ere I went to sleep I prayed very fervently that all might be
well with us and her.

When morning broke, I was conscious of a great agitation of mind,
which I schooled myself to hide from the eyes of my guards, forcing
myself to eat the breakfast for which I had no appetite. It would
have eased me to pace up and down my room, but I forbore even from
this, so that no restlessness might provoke their curiosity or
suspicion. I sat for hours on my bed, awaiting the time for our
attempt. The men brought me my midday meal: one of them made a
brutal remark on my pallor; and then the door was shut, and they
settled themselves to their usual siesta.

'Twas about an hour later when I heard the tube pushed up through
the hole in the floor. Uncle Moses was below. The critical moment
for which I had been longing was come, and my limbs trembled
uncontrollably, as they had not done since the time when I saw my
first sea fight on the deck of the Dolphin. As we had arranged, I
allowed time for the negro to mount the steps and come through the
veranda into the room adjoining. Then, gathering my strength, I
took three strides across my chamber and dashed my right shoulder
against the door. It flew outwards with a crash, the force of my
impact being such that the lock tore a great piece out of the jamb.

I rushed blindly into the next room, and lost a few moments in the
endeavor to grasp the scene. But my jailors lost more, for the
crash had wakened them from a sound sleep and, seamen though they
were, the event was so sudden and unexpected that they were taken
perfectly aback, and were still looking about them in a dazed
bewilderment when Uncle Moses and I threw ourselves upon them. We
got them just as they were staggering to their feet. A blow from my
fist sent one spinning against the wall; at the same moment the
negro, whom I had barely yet seen, caught the other man by the
middle and, by a feat of strength which amazed me, hurled him
through the doorway into the room I had just quitted. I hoped they
were stunned; we could not wait to see, and we had no means of
binding them.

The noise must have awak