t, except that they could hear the tread of the
nearest sentry, all was silent. Taking off their wooden shoes they moved
cautiously along, keeping close to the houses. The fourth they came to
had an unusually deep doorway, and they decided at once that this would
suit their purpose. First they tried with the crowbar, but the lock held
firmly.

"We will try another way, Paolo. If the door yields, it will go with a
crash, and the sentry might come down to see what had caused the noise.
We had better take out this lower panel; we shall want four holes bored
touching each other to make one large enough for the saw to enter."

The wood was of oak, and it took Paolo fully five minutes to make the
holes.

"Now give me the auger," Hector said when it was found that the hole was
large enough for the saw to pass through.

"I will begin at the bottom of the panel while you saw away at the top."

Paolo had done his share by the time the holes along the bottom were
ready for the saw.

"Now you take the auger again," Hector said. "We have not done half our
work yet. The holes must be made on each side. There is no turning the
saw."

It took them an hour and a half of hard work before the last cut was
completed and the panel fell forward.

"You go in first, Paolo. I will follow you, and will wedge the panel
into its place again with some of the chips that the auger has cut out.
No one has passed since we began, and if anyone did come along before
morning he would not be likely to notice that the panel was gone. Still
it is as well to avoid all risk."

As soon as the panel was replaced they mounted the stairs. Before
beginning they had seen that there were no lights in any of the windows,
and feeling sure that the house was deserted they groped their way
upstairs without hesitation until they reached the attics in the sloping
roof. They entered one of these facing the street, opened the casement,
in which oiled paper took the place of glass, and stepped down on to
the parapet. Their course was now easy. The divisions between the houses
were marked by walls some six feet high extending from the edge of the
parapet over the roof. They were able to climb these, however, without
having to use their cord, one helping the other up and then being
assisted by him. They had left the cooking pan and their tools, with
the exception of the crowbar, behind them, and had fastened their wooden
shoes round their necks. The sun during the da