now and then a shriek louder than all others, as some missile
carried death into the terror-struck crowd.

"_Sacre_!" said Raoul; "if they had only allowed us a couple of days,
our friends would have opened these doors for us. _Sacr-r-r-e_!"

This last exclamation was uttered in a shriek. Simultaneously a heavy
object burst through the roof, tearing the bricks and plaster, and
falling with the ring of iron on the floor.

Then followed a deafening crash. The whole earth seemed to shake, and
the whizzing of a thousand particles filled the air. A cloud of dust
and lime, mixed with the smoke of sulphur, was around us. I gasped for
breath, nearly suffocated. I endeavoured to cry out, but my voice,
husky and coarse, was scarcely audible to myself. I succeeded at length
in ejaculating:

"Raoul! Raoul!"

I heard the voice of my comrade, seemingly at a great distance. I threw
out my arms and groped for him. He was close by me, but, like myself,
choking for want of air.

"It was a shell," said he, in a wheezing voice, "Are you hurt, Captain?"

"No," I replied; "and you?"

"Sound as a bell--our luck is good--it must have struck every other part
of the cell."

"Better it had not missed us," said I, after a pause; "we are only
spared for the _garrotte_."

"I am not so sure of that, Captain," replied my companion, in a manner
that seemed to imply he had still hopes of an escape.

"Where that shell came in," he continued, "something else may go out.
Let us see--was it the roof?"

"I think so."

We groped our way hand in hand towards the centre of the room, looking
upwards.

"_Peste_!" ejaculated Raoul; "I can't see a foot before me--my eyes are
filled--_bah_!"

So were mine. We stood waiting. The dust was gradually settling down,
and we could perceive a faint glimmer from above. _There was a large
hole through the roof_!

Slowly its outlines became defined, and we could see that it was large
enough to pass the body of a man; but it was at least fourteen feet from
the floor, and we had not timber enough to make a walking-stick!

"What is to be done? We are not cats, Raoul. We can never reach it!"

My comrade, without making a reply, lifted me up in his arms, telling me
to climb. I mounted upon his shoulders, balancing myself like a
Bedouin; but with my utmost stretch I could not touch the roof.

"Hold!" cried I, a thought striking me. "Let me down, Raoul. Now, if
they will only give us a littl