of the company walked in to
demonstrate how restricted the space was. Nevertheless the Moors
continued to press us towards the doorway, and seeing that they were
in earnest, I whispered to Marian to give me her arm, and went in with
the first. By this means I was just in time to secure Marian a place
at the corner of one of the windows, where she would have a chance
to breathe. I took up my position next to her, and we were quickly
surrounded and closely pressed on by those who followed. Before we had
well realised what was happening to us, the whole of the prisoners had
been thrust into the cell, and the door, which opened inwards, pulled
to with a slam and locked.

The moment this happened I found myself bursting out into a most
prodigious sweat--the water running out of my skin as though squeezed
from a sponge--by the mere press of people in that confined space; and
near as I stood to the window I soon began to experience a difficulty
in breathing, so foul did the air immediately become. The sufferings
of those further back in the apartment must of course have been much
worse. The door was no sooner closed than those next to it began to
make frantic efforts to open it again; but we were so closely packed
that, even if the door had not been locked, it would have been
scarcely possible to open it wide enough to allow of any persons going
through. Every mind seemed to become at once possessed with a sense of
our desperate situation, and the groans and cries for mercy became
heartrending.

Mr. Holwell, having been the first to enter, had been fortunate enough
to secure a place at the other window. He now exerted himself, as the
leader of the party, to calm the tumult.

"Gentlemen," he said earnestly, "let me urge you to keep still. The
only hope for us in this emergency is to behave quietly, and do what
we can to relieve each other's sufferings. I will use my endeavours
with the guard to procure our release, and in the meantime do you
refrain from giving way to despair."

It was now dark within the room, but outside some of the guards had
lit torches, by whose light I distinguished one old man, a Jemautdar,
who appeared a little touched with pity for our distress. To this man
Mr. Holwell appealed, through the window, offering him large rewards
if he would have us transferred to some more tolerable prison. At
first the old Moor merely shook his head, but finally, when Mr.
Holwell offered him a thousand rupees if he