The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-01-08

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 foanning torrent, leaping
impetuously into the cnverns of the
Brico. If they had known this, would
attempted escape? No.
Death for DEATH" said Sandorf.
Eve 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 INSTRUCTED 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
o knife
"The rest will not be difficult" said
Sandorf, "but that may prove impossi-
BILE! To work."
And he climbed mp 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, lid 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 it had been pierced
by millions 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 a moment. If they could manage
to clens 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 outwards.
The noise of the fall 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. "We ought
to have apiece Of iron, blade"
Something of the sort wa necessary,
there could be no doubt. Friable Us 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
lie felt the walls on the chance of 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 were 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 b edwards and iorewards until
it broke off
This was soon done Sandorf thus OBJ
tanned a 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 ursockets.
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, so
as to stop him when the sentry went
by.
Suddenly Sh--sh-sh-" escaped
from Zathmar's lips.
THE work instantly stopped.
Whats the matter?" asked Bathory.
'Listcn," answer ed Zathmar.
His ear was again at the focus of the
ellipsoidal curve, and again there was
evident the acoustical phenomenon
which had told the prisoners the secret
of the treachery.
These are the fragments of speech
which We're caught at short intervals: