do
while we were travelling, but I would rather have had it in drafts or
something else not easily lost.

We had a good many discussions about our grapnel. We did not know
whether there was a sentinel on duty in the fort at night or not, but
supposed there was, and, if so, he would be likely to hear the grapnel
when we threw it up and it hit the stones. We thought we could get over
this difficulty by wrapping the grapnel in cotton wool. This would
deaden the sound when it struck, but would not prevent the points of the
hooks from holding to the inner edge of the wall. Everything now seemed
all right, except that we had no object in view after we got over the
wall. I always like to have some reason for doing a thing, especially
when it's pretty hard to do. I said this to Rectus, and he agreed with
me.

"What I would like to do," said he, "would be to benefit the innocent
Indian prisoners."

"I don't know what we can do for them," said I. "We can't let them out,
and they'd all go back again if we did."

"No, we can't do that," said he; "but we ought to do something. I've
been around looking at them all carefully, and I feel sure that there
are at least forty men among those Indians who haven't done a thing to
warrant shutting them up."

"Why, how do you know?" I exclaimed.

"I judge from their faces," said Rectus.

Of course this made me laugh, but he didn't care.

"I'll tell you what we could do," said he; "we could enter a protest
that might be heard of, and do some good. We could take a pot of black
paint and a brush with us, and paint on one of the doors that open into
the inner square,--where everybody could see it,--something like this:
'Let the righteous Indian go free.' That would create talk, and
something might be done."

"Who'd do it?" said I. "The captain in command couldn't. He has no power
to let any of them go free."

"Well, we might address the notice to the President of the United
States--in big black letters. They could not conceal such a thing."

"Well, now, look here, Rectus," said I; "this thing is going to cost too
much money. That rope was expensive, and the grapnel cost a good deal
more than we thought it would; and now you want a big pot of black
paint. We mustn't spend our money too fast, and if we've got to
economize, let's begin on black paint. You can write your proclamation
on paper, and stick it on the door with tacks. They could send that
easier to the President than they co