tisfaction, a number of waggons of flour came in late
one afternoon, and he determined to carry his plan into execution that
night. The storehouses were not in the great court, but in a smaller one
off it. Beyond two soldiers at the gate and a sentry at the commandant's
door, no guards were kept in the courtyards, though a few sentries were
placed upon the walls. Hector had his supper as usual, and Paolo brought
in the news that eight of the waggons had not been unloaded in time to
go out. A fatigue party of soldiers were now completing the work, which
would be finished about nine o'clock. Taking off their boots a little
after that hour they went quietly downstairs, then put them on again and
boldly crossed the courtyard, for the night was so dark that there was
no fear of their figures being perceived.

As they entered the inner yard they again took off their boots and
walked up to the carts. In two of these the carters were fast asleep.
They passed on quietly, feeling in each cart for the sacks, and were
delighted to find that they were all placed in the one farthest up the
yard, which would therefore be the last to go out. They were tidily
piled in lines side by side at the forward end of the waggon. They
cautiously removed the sacks of the middle lines; Hector lay down feet
foremost, and Paolo laid the sacks regularly over him till they reached
the level of the others. Half a dozen were doubled and packed neatly in
at the end, so as to conceal his head and prevent its being noticed that
any had been taken out. The rest were distributed evenly, so that the
sacks were all as level as before, and no one would have suspected that
they had been disturbed.

Paolo then returned to Hector's room. As the double sacks closing the
orifice at his head had not been packed very tightly, enough air entered
for Hector to breathe. He increased the opening somewhat by pressing one
of the sacks a little aside, but left it so that he could readily pull
it into its position in the morning. As soon as Paolo reached the room
he applied a blistering plaster to his cheek and kept it on till he
could no longer bear the pain, then he threw himself down on his pallet.
But neither he nor his master slept much, Hector being kept awake by the
heat and discomfort of his position, and Paolo by the smarting of his
cheek. As soon as it was light the latter rose, and sat impatiently
waiting for the time when the gates would open. Looking into the
cou