coming in.

"Will you drink a glass with me?" he said. "I have been telling the
landlord that I have come into a little brass, and mean to spend it."

The soldiers, not unwillingly, accepted the invitation, and sat down at a
table with him.

"It must be slow work," he said, "keeping guard here, and I expect you
would sooner be out at the war."

"That we should," one of them replied; "there is nothing to do here but to
drill all day, and stare across the water when we are off duty, and wish
we were at Portsmouth, where there is something to do and something to
amuse one. This is the dullest hole I ever was quartered in. Cosham on one
side and Fairham on the other are the only places that one can walk to. We
expect, however, to be relieved before long, and I never want to see the
place again."

"I suppose you take recruits here?" Will said.

"Oh yes, we take recruits when we can get them."

"How long is a recruit before he begins to be a soldier, and takes his
regular turn as guard and so on?"

"Two or three months," the man said; "that is long enough to get them into
something like shape."

"I should like to go in and have a look at the prisoners," Will said after
a little chat.

"Well, there is no chance of your doing that," the soldier replied.
"Orders are very strict, and only three or four hucksters are allowed to
go in, to sell things to them."

"How many are there of them?"

"About three thousand."

He chatted for some time, and then, after calling for another pint of beer
all round, sauntered out, leaving the soldiers to finish it. He saw at
once that his only possible plan in the time he had at his command was
either to bribe some of the guards, which appeared to him too hazardous a
plan to adopt, and not likely to lead to success, or to get at one or
other of the people who were allowed in.

He spent two days watching the gate of the prison. During that time five
people in civilian dress went in. One of these was a short fat woman, who
carried a large basket with cakes and other eatables. Another was
similarly laden. A third, a man of about his own height, took in a variety
of material used by the prisoners for making articles for sale. He had
needles and thread, scraps of materials of many colours for making
patchwork quilts, blocks of wood for carving out model ships, straw dyed
various colours for making fancy boxes, glass beads, and other small
articles. Will at once fixed on him as being t