worked his way farther and farther into the
tunnel, and the sentry sat at the entrance thereto, smoking and dozing,
instead of standing close beside the prisoner during the whole day, as
he had done at first. Douglas was delighted, for this was precisely
what he wanted. The soldier's suspicions were being lulled to sleep
very effectively, and Jim told himself that the time was fast
approaching when he might try to hoodwink the fellow still further.
However, in order not to act too hastily, he allowed a few more days to
elapse, and then one morning, during his mid-day meal, he entered into
conversation with the Peruvian, adroitly keeping the conversation as
personal as possible, and leading the fellow on to talk about himself.
It was an easy task that Jim had before him, as he very soon found. He
sympathised with the man in all his little troubles, and advised him
what to do to make matters easier for himself, the consequence being
that Douglas passed the whole afternoon sitting down and talking with
the soldier, with the result that by the evening the two were as
friendly together as even Jim could wish.

The Peruvian Government, it now appeared, was in the habit of giving the
prisoners a small bonus for every cubic yard of rubble or ore that was
removed above a certain fixed quantity, and this bonus Jim laid himself
out to earn, with the result that he very soon had a nice little hoard
of _pesetas_, which he laid out on such comforts as the village
provided. He also took care to keep his gaoler well supplied with
_cigarillos_, which proved the best prescription for keeping him in a
good temper. So that by the time that three months had slipped by, the
man had ceased to keep guard over his prisoner at all, and left him to
excavate the tunnel unwatched, while he himself sat down on the shady
side of a rock to enjoy his tobacco. Things were now indeed shaping
very well for Jim, and having lulled his gaoler's suspicions, the young
man next set about getting together a small store of provisions, which
he secreted little by little behind a great boulder which he found about
fifty feet inside the mouth of the tunnel, and a month later he had
accumulated what he considered to be enough provender to last him, with
care, until he could reach either the sea-coast or the nearest Chilian
outpost, which at that time was lying somewhere near Caraguara.

The next thing, he told himself, was to wait for a favourable
opportunity