ed out.

"Over a hundred feet," he said, "and I should say a precipice fully
as deep at the foot of the wall. At any rate, we have the advantage
of an extensive view.

"I am glad to see that there is a fireplace, for the cold will be
bitter here, when the winter sets in. I wonder whether the rooms
above and below this are tenanted?"

Hindeman shrugged his shoulders. He was not, at present, in a mood
to take interest in anything. It was now the end of October, and
Fergus was very glad when the door opened again, and a warder came
in with two soldiers, who carried huge baskets of firewood; and it
was not long before a large fire was blazing on the hearth.

Day after day passed. Fergus turned over in his mind every possible
method of escape, but the prospect looked very dark. Even if the
door were open, there would be difficulties of all sorts to
encounter. In the middle of the day many people went in and out of
the fortress, with provisions, wood, and other matters; but at
sunset the gates were shut, and sentries placed on the walls; and
on getting out he would have to cross an inner courtyard, and then
pass through a gateway--at which a sentinel was posted night and
day--into the outer court, which was surrounded by a strong wall
over thirty feet high, with towers at the angles.

Escape from the window would be equally difficult. Two long and
very strong ropes would be required, and the bars of the window
were so massive that, without tools of any kind, it would be
impossible to remove them.

A month later Captain Hindeman fell ill, and was removed to the
infirmary. Fergus was glad of his departure. He had been so
depressed that he was useless as a companion and, so long as he
remained there, he altogether prevented any plan of escape being
attempted; for difficult as it might be for one person to get away,
it would be next to impossible for two to do so.

For an hour in the day, the prisoners had leave to walk on the
wall. His fellow prisoner had never availed himself of this
privilege; but Fergus always took his daily exercise, partly to
keep himself in health, partly in hopes that a plan of escape might
present itself. A sentry, however, was always posted on the wall
while the prisoners were at exercise; and on the side allotted for
their walk, the rock sloped away steeply from the foot of the wall.
The thought of escape, therefore, in broad daylight was out of the
question; and Fergus generally watched what