The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-02-05

| lnere lS no need TO tie, Stephen,
said Sandorf. Listen 10 me, and you
also, Ladislas do not miss any of my
words IL we possessed rope we
should not hesitate to hang ourselves
outside the window, so that we might
slip to the ground. Now this cable is
bettet than rope, because its rigidity
will render its descent much easier.
Like al lightning conductors there is
no doubt but that it is fastened to the
wall with staples. These staples will be
fixed points ON which our feet may find
a rest. There is no swinging TO dread,
because the cable is fixed to the wall.
There is no vertigo to fear because il is
night and you will see moth ng. Then,
once through the window we have only
to keep our GOODNESS and courage and we
are free. That we risk our lives is pos.
sible. But it gives us ten chances to
one whereas if we wait till the morn
ing, and our keepers find us here, it is
| hundreds upon hundreds to one that we
have to die!"
BE it so, " replied Zathmar.
Where does the cable end ?" asked
Bathory.
I'm IA well probably" answered San
dorf, but certainly outside the donjon,
and we'll t Ike advantage of it. do not
know. / only see one thing at the end
OF it. and that is libertv-perhaps !"
Count Sandorf was right in his sup
| position that the lightning conductor
was fastened to the wall by staples ut
! equal distances. The descent would
thus be easy, for the fugitives could use
the staples rs stepping stones to keep
them from sliding down too swiftly.
But what they did not know was that
when it left the crest of the plateau %
which rose the wall of the donjon the
iron cable became free, 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 foaming torrent, leaping
impetuously into the caverns of the
Brico. If they had known this, would
they then have recoiled from their
attempted escape? No.
Death for DEATH" said Sandorf.
I'VE may die after doing all we can to
escape death"
The first thing was to clear the pass
age through the window. The crossbar
that obstructed it would have to be re-
moved. How was this to be done with
out pair of pinchers, wrench or any
other tool? The prisoners had not even
knife.
"The rest will not be difficult" said
Sandorf, "but that may prove impossi-
bic! To work."
And he climbed up to the window,
seized the crossbar vigorously with his
hand, and felt that it would not require
such very great effort to pull it down.
The iron bars which formed it were
loose in their sockets. The stone, split
away at the edges, did not offer very
much resistance. Probably the light.
ming conductor, before it was repaired,
had been in inferior condition for its
purpose, and electric sparks had been
attracted by the iron of the crossbar,
and had acted ON the wall, and how
powerful such influence would be we are
well aware. This may have been the
cause OF the breakages round the sock
cts into which the ends of the bars were
thrust, and of the decomposition of the
stone, which was reduced to sort of
spongy state, as if is had been pierced
by millio MS of electric points.
This explanation was given BY
Stephen Bathory as soon as he noticed
the phenomenon.
Butt was not explanation, but work
that was wanted, and that without
losing moment. If they could manage
70 clear the extremity of the bars, after
forcing them backwards and forwards in
their sockets, so as to knock off the
angles OF the stone, it might be easy to
push the iron work out of the embrasure,
which widened as it went eutwards.
The noise of the foil was not likely to be
heard amid the long rollings of the
thunder which were going on almost
continuously in the lower strata of the
clouds
But We shall never get that iron
work out with our hands," said Zath-
mar.
"No!" answered Sandorf. 1--WE ought
to have apiece Of iron, blade"
Something of the sort was necessary,
there could be no doubt Friable as the
wall might be round the sockets, the
nails would be broken, and the fingers
worn till they bled in trying to reduce
it to powder. 1t could never be done
without some hard point or other.
Sandorf looked around the cell, which
was feebly lighted from the corridor by
the small fanlight over the door. Then
he felt the walls on the chance of Ia nail
having been left in them. He found
nothing. Then it occurred to him that
it would not be impossible to take off
one of the legs of the iron bedsteads,
which We're fixed to the wall. The three
set to work, and soon Bathory called to
his companions in whisper.
The rivet of one of the metal laths
forming the lattice-work of the bed had
given way. All that was necessary was
to sieze hold of this by the free end and
twist it backwards and forewards until
it broke off.
This was soon done Sandorf thus OBJ
tanned thin piece of iron, about an inch
wide and five inches long, which he
wrapped around the end with his silk
cravat, 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, TO resume his
task AS soon as the storm began again.
The work advanced rapidly.
Bathory and Zathmar took up their
positions near the door and listened, 50
as to stop him when the sentry went
by
Suddenly 4" Sh-sh-sh-" escaped
from Zathmar lips.
The work instantly stopped.
Whats the natter" asked Bathory,
"Listen," ed Zathmar,
His ear was again at the focus of the
ellipsoidal curve, and again there was
evident the aooustical phenomenon
which had told the prisoners the secret
of the treaohery,
These are the fragments OF speech
which were caught at short intervals:
Tomorrow set
liberty"
Yes books closed
and"
After the execution / shall
jim my comrade, Zirone who's waiting
for men in Sicily"