The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-04-16
:: Where is it,"

/
you see, that it may be thought you
made 1t yourself out of your sheets;
| 1T is OF the proper length. When
you get to the last knot, let your
self fall gently down; the TEST is your
own lookout. / have some reason to
believe you will find near the spot a
carriage with horses put to, and
friends who expect you. That
Know nothing about, of course. By
the-by, | forgot that there is senti-
mel Just on the right of the tower,
who will send musket ball thro1ob
your head to dead certainty, if he
sees you. However, you will choose
IA good dark night, and watch the
moment when the solder is mapping.
/ You run some risk, but
"Good, good" cried Chevalier sat
all events, | shall not die here like
dog
':Why don't know" brawled out
the Jailor, with a stupid look, "that
may happen, nevertheless
Vevancourt, in his joy at the pros
pect of escape, had no time to pay
attention to this silly sounding OBJ
servation of one who appeared to be
a mere rustic boor; he instantly set
to work, and spent the whole night
in fling through the bar.
Thinking. however, that the COM
mander might pay a visit in person,
he took care to conceal the effect of
his labor by filing the incision with
the crumbs of bread in the rust, so as
to give it the color of iron, and then
! waited for a night that should suit his
purpose, with concentrated impa-
tience of mind.
At length, during a dark and lurid
autumnal night. he completed his ope-
rations. The bar was sawed through,
the cord firmly attached to it, and We
vancourt, having with some difficulty
squeezed himself through the opening,
waited, with his feet on the masonry
J which projected beneath the window,
). and his hands tightly grasping the end
of the bar which remained, for the
most obscure part of the night and
that hour in which your watchfuI sem
tinel is generally fast asleep, that is
TO say, two hours before daybreak.
Being well acquainted with the dura-
ton of, the different watches, and the
] times at which the guard usually went
its rounds, circumstances which pris-
oners even involuntarily chiefly oc-
/ cupy themselves in ascertaining, he
Fl watched the moment, when about
three quarters of the duty of the sem
/ tinel was expired, and the man HIM
self snug in his box to avoid the fog;
/ feeling certain that he had united all
the chances favorable for his evasion,
he began to descend, knot by knot,
suspended between heaven and earth,
f but cIutching his cord with the
strength of a giant.
il All appeared to be going on pros
perously; he had already arrived safe
ly at the last knot but one; when, just
as he was about to let himself slide off
on to the earth, he thought it would
| be more prudent to feel for the ground
: with his teet, but no ground was to
, be felt.
This was not altogether encourag-
!, ing; he was bathed in sweat, fatigued,
i. perplexed, and in situation where his
| life depended on mere toss up; he
t was on the point of all chances and
] leaping down. when a gust Of wind
;, blew of his hat; luckily he listened for
the noise he expected it to make in
:, falling; and hearing nothing, vague
!, suspicion of his situation struck him,
;, and he began to think it possible that
! some snare had been laid for him,
though why or wherefore, he was un-
4 able to conjecture.
& In this uncertainty he almost deter
) mined to defer the attempt to some
j other night, and in the meantime re-
| solved at least to wait for the first un-
certain glimpse of light, which mo-
/ ment might be almost as favorable for
his fight as the present. His uncom-
mon strength enabled him to climb
| back to his dungeons. he was almost
) exhausted when he arrived at the pro-
+ jecting stone under the window,
where he remained watching at the
end of gutter. In short time the
, first dim beams Of the morning broke
) and he then perceived, as he moved
: the floating cord backwards and for
+ wards, a trifling interval of some hun
+ dred and fifty feet between the last
t knot of it and the pointed rocks Of
the precipice!
ooh! oh! M. lie Commandant," said
!. the Chevalier, with the GOODNESS that
' characterized him, 81 have the honor
d to be your most obedient, very hum
4 blesservant." Having reflected some
E minutes on this adroitIy intended plan
E Of revenge, he thought it best to re
enter his cell. He placed all his
clothes on his bed, left the cords out
t side, attached to the bar, to encour
]. age the idea Of his fall, and quickly en-
d sconsing himself behind the door, he
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