iscovered the lost revolvers, when our guards were
advised as to where the weapons could be found.

The surrender of the adjutant's arsenal put an end to an amusing and
exciting episode, but it also ended the "keno" and "chuck-luck" games,
so far as the guards were concerned, for their commander forbade any of
them remaining within the stockade after roll-call. The adjutant never
recovered his lost temper--that is, while we knew him, and was a cross
officer after this occurrence. Whenever he would enter the stockade,
subsequent to his disarmament, someone would shout "keno," and the cry
would be taken up by a thousand voices. This did not help him to forget
the revolver incident, and, naturally, did not improve his temper.

"Keno" was also a watchword to notify anyone engaged in tunnel-digging
or other contraband work that it was hazardous to proceed at the time,
and by the time any officers or guards entering the stockade could reach
any suspected point all unlawful actions would be stopped and any traces
covered.

We had a tunnel started in a cabin, the mouth of the hole being sunk in
the fireplace. Whenever the watchword, "keno," would sound the digger
would hurry out, a false bottom would be set in the fireplace and
hurriedly covered with ashes and burning wood, and all evidences of the
work effectually hidden from sight.

This tunnel-digging was slow work, as a case-knife was the most
effective tool which we possessed, and all the labor of shaping the hole
had to be done with this inappropriate implement. Our method of removing
the dirt could not be called primitive, inasmuch as the means employed
were of neither ancient make nor style, but the device certainly was not
of the time-saving kind. A cigar-box, with a string attached, was the
vehicle for conveying the dirt from the interior of the works to the
surface of the ground, and every ounce of dirt that was loosened by our
improvised excavator had to be removed by this apology for a tram car.
When the loaded car came to the mouth of the tunnel it was carefully
conveyed to some old hole in the neighborhood and there dumped, light
dirt sweepings from the ground being scattered over the fresh soil from
the tunnel. The lack of speed in the work was offset by the
corresponding amount of care that was taken in doing it.

There was every reason in the world for believing that our tunnel would
become a success, and it would have done so had it not been for the
acti