The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-03

terrupted by the clang Of bolts. He
thought at first it was his own door
that was being opened, but moment
later knew it was the door OF sne mex
cell up stream. The sound, OF course,
could not penetrate the extremely thick
wall. but came thru the aperture whose
roof arehed the watereourse- from
the voices he estimated that several
prisoners were being put into one cell,
and he wondered whether or not ne
cared for companion. 1t would al
depend. IF fellow prisoners hated each
other their enforced proximity might
prove unpleasant.
ssBring us food.' -.@
The gaoler laughed.
1T will give you something to drlnK
first on+oa
stVodka, vodka!'
Then the door changed shut again, and
he heard the murmur of voices IN bus
sian. but could not make out What was
said. One Of the new prisoners, crop
ing round, appeared to have struck the
stone bench, as he himself had done.
The man in the next cell swore eoarsely,
and Lermontoff, Judging from such
snatches of their conversation as ne
could hear that they were persons OF
low order, felt no desire to make their
more intimate acquaintance, and 50 old
not shout to them, as he had intended to
do. And now he missed something that
had become familiar; thought 1t was q
cigaret he desired, for the one he had
lit had been smoked to his very lips,
then he recognized it was the murmur
of the stream that had ceased:
All, they can shut it off, he SAID.
"That's interesting. I must investi-
gate, and learn whether or no there IS
Communication between the cells: Not
very likely, tho -,
He craWled on hands and knees until
he came to the bed Of the stream, which
was now damp, but empty. kneel1ng
down in it's course, he worked his way
toward the lower cell, and, as he ex-
peeted, came to stout iron bars. Crouch
ing thus he sacrificed a second match,
and estimated that the distance be-
tween the two cells was as much as ten
feet of solid rock, and saw also that
behind the perpendicular iron bars were
another horizontal set, then another per-
pendicular, then fourth horizontal.
While in this position he was startled
by a piercing scream to the rear. He
backed out from the tunnel and stood
upright once more. He heard the
sound of people splashing round IN
water. The screamer began to labber
like maniac, punctuating his rawlings
with shrieks Another was cursing We
hemently, and third appealing to the
saints. Lermontoff quickly knelt down
in the watercourse, this time facing the
upper cell, and struck his third match.
He saw that steel shield, reminding
him Of the thin shutter between the
lenses Of camera, had been shot across
the tunnel behind the second group of
cross bars, and as an engineer he could
not but admire the skill of the practical
expert who had constructed this dia-
bo1ical device, for in spite Of the pres
sure on the other side, hardly drop
of water oozed thru. He tried to reach
beyond the touch of his fingers, with
his arm thrust thru the two sets of
bars, but if he could have stretched
that far, with the first bar retarding
his shoulder, he knew his hand would
be helpless even if he had some weapon
| to puncture the steel shield. The men
would be drowned before he could &C.
complish anything unless ne was at the
| lever in the passage outside.
| Crawling into his cell again he heard
no more Of the chatter and cries Of the
maniac, and he surmised that the other
| two were fighting for places on bench
or shelf, which was amply large enough
to have supported both, had they not
been too demented with fear to recog-
nize that fact. The cursmg man was
victorious, and now he stood alone on
the shelf, roaring maledictions. Then
there was the sound Of plunge, and
| Lermontoff. standing there, helpless and
shivering, heard The prisoner swim
round and round his cen like a furious
animal, muttering and swearing. :.
HDon't exhaust yourself like thatt =
shouted Ler1nontoff eff you want tc
i've, cling to the hole at either of ths
two upper corners. The water can
rise above you then, and you car
/ breathe till It subsidies
heed. but tore round and round In hi
confined tank, thrashing the water hks
a dying whale.
/ HPoor DEVIL moaned Jack
/ "What's the. use of telling him wha'
/ to do He is doomed in any case. The
other two are now better of.
A moment later the water began t.
1 dribble thru the upper aperture int
Jacks cell, increasing and increasing
i nnti1 there was the roar of waterfall