Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-23
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, AUGUST 3d. 1855


"but have we the strength
"What does 1t matterY' replied Bath
ory: oif strength fail us, we shall
die an hour or two sooner, that is all y
"There is no need TO die, stephen" said
Sandnrf Listen to me, aud yOu also
Ladislas; do not miss any OF my words.
If we possessed rope, we should not hes-
itate TO hang ourselves outside the wln-
dow, so that we might slip down 1t to the
ground. Now this cable Is DETER IMAM
rope. because it's rlgidity will render its
descent much easier Like all lightning
conductors. there ls no doubt but that 1t
is fastened TO the wall with staples. These
staples will be Il xed points on which our
feet NAV find q rest. There is no swing
ing to dread because the cable is liked 10
the wall There Is no vertigo TO fear, be-
cause il Is night, and you VIII see moth
ing. Then, once through the window, we
have only TO keep our GOODNESS and cour-
age and we are free. That we FISK our
lives Is possible. But IL gives us zen
chances 10 Que; whereas, If we walt till
the morning, and our keepers find us here,
it is hundreds upon hundreds TO one that
we have 10 die'
"Be it So" replied Zathmar
''NYhere does the cable eudp asked
Bathory.
In well probably" answered San
dorf, "but certainly outside the donjon,
and Wen take advantage OF 1t. do not
know. i only see one thing at the end or
it, and that is liberty-perhaps"
Count SandOrf was right IN his suppO-
sition that the lightning was
fastened to the wall by staples at equal
distances. The descent would thus be
easy, for the fugitives could use the staples
as stepping stones to keep them rom
sliding down too swiftly. Bot what they
did not know was that when It lett the
crest OF the plateau on which rose the
wall OF the dOnion, the iron cable became
free, floating, abandoned IN the void. ana
its lower end plunged into the waters OF
the Foiba, then swollen by recent rains.
Where they reckoned on finding firm
ground at the bottom OF the gorge was a
foaming torrent, leaping impetuously into
the caverns of the BucO. II they had
known this, would they then have recoiled
from .heir attempted escape? No.
death for DEATH" said Sandort. ave
may die after doing all we can to escape
death"
The first thing was to clear the passage
through the window. The cr0ssbar that
obstructed it would have to be removed.
How was this to be done without pair Of
pincers, "A wrenchq Ora any othUs tool? The
prisoners had NOT even a kniie-
"The rest will not be difficult" said
Sandorf, "but that may prove impossible
Ana he climbed up to the window,
seized the crossbar vigorously with mis-
hand, aud feItthat IL would not require
such very great effort tO'pullit down.
The irOh bars (which formed 1t were
loose la their sockets. The stone, split
away at the edges. did not offer very much
resistance. Probably the nghtning-c
I trtoa 'arftt4 "a hoH
in inferior oonglttop for itse purpose, and
electric sparks mad been attracted by the
iron of the cross bar, and had acted on the
wall; and bow; powerful SUCH in1ueLce
would be we are all well u ware. This
may have been the cause of the breakaCes
round the sockets,into WHICH the ends of
the bars were thrust, aud or the decom-
position of the stone, which was reduced
to a.s0rt0f sp6ng \ state, as II it had been
pierced by nin1s0ffs ct electric points.
This explanation was given by stephen
Bathory as soon as he noticed the phe-
nOmenOn.
But it was not explanation, but work
that was wanted, and that without losing
a moment. g Ii they could manage tOc4ear
the extremities of the TdlaFs after forcing
them Backwards aud forwards. in stheir
sockets, so as to knock OF the angles OF
the stone, it might be easy TO push the
iron work out of the embrasure, which
widened as it went Outwards. The noise
of the fall was not likely TO be heard amid
the long roHlngs of, the thunder When
were gong on almost continuously IN the
lower strata of bheolouds.
but wsshalF never get That irOnWork
out with our hands, y SAID Zathmar.
mop answered. SandOrf. "AVe ought
TO have a piece Of iron, a blade
Something OF the sort was necessary,
there could he no dDHbU. leInable as the
wall might be round me sotkets, the nails
would be broken and the fingers worn TIL
they bled in trying TO reduce II To powder.
1t could never be done withoutsome hard
point or other. - s p 0l p ttpA
Sandorf looked round the cell, which
was fee6ly lighted iron the corridor by
the small faniight over the door. Then
he felt the watson tue chance Of a nail
having been left in them. be found moth
ing. Then it occurred TO him that it would
not be impossible 10 take of one of the
legs of the iron bedsteads, which were
fixed to the wall. The three set to work,
and soon Bathory called to Ills cOmpan-
ions In a whisper hnsr hio odt
The riVet of one of the metal laths
forming the lattice work of the bed had
gwen way. All that was necessary was
to seize hold OF this by he free end and
twist it backwards and forwards until it
broke off.
This was soon done. SandOrf thus OBJ
tanned thin piece OF iron, about an inch
wide ana five inches long, which be
wrapped round the end with his silk era
vat, and with it he began to clear away
the four sockets.
This could not be done without some
noise. Fortunately the rumbling of the
thunder prevented the noise from being
heard. During the intervals of silence
Sandorf stopped, 10 resume his task as
soon az the storm began again. The
work advanced rapidly.
BathOry and Zathmar took up their pO-
sitiOns near the door and listened, so as to
stop him when the sentry went by.
Suddenly "Sh-sh-sh" escaped from
Zathmar's lips.
The work instantly stopped.
"What ia the matter ~ asked Bathory
"Listen," answered Zathmar.
His ear was again At the focus OF the
ellipsoidal curve, and again there was evil
dent the acoustical phenomenon which
had told the prisoners the secret OF the
treachery.
These are the fragments Of speech which
were caught at short intervals:
morrow--set--iberty-"
=
"Yes-books closed
.
CATER the execution shall rejoin
my eomrade, Zirone, who is waiting for