Year: 1865

my efforts would be useless.


| sat brooding lntcntly for half an
hour, at the end of which time | had
thought out plan which seemed to me
the only one at all feasible. There were
some small pieces of wood lying on the
hearth; fragments left after the fire had
been lighted picked up one of these
and in the course of few minutes had
fashioned it with my pocket knife into Il
sort Of rude spatula, round which iicd
piece OF stout string that | found in one
OF my pockets. The old man sat watch
ing my movements attentiyely, apparently
unsuspicious of what | was aboIi to do.


Everything was now ready for my at
tempt Occasionally | heard the faint
murmurs of voices below stairs, showing
that there were other inmates of the
house still awake; and now and then the
opening or shutting of "A distant door
sounded preternaturnlly loud at that quiet
hour. confess that now the final mo
mrnt was come, my heart failed me for a
minute or two, and began TO doubt my
ability to carry out my plan to SUCCESS
ful issue. But this fit of weakness was
of short duration, and gave place to an
untnltering resolution to do and dare ev-
erything to effect my escape.


rose suddenly from my chair, step
ped across the hearth in two strides, and
seizng the hoary rascal by the throat,
SAID,


"Speak or make a noise, and I'll mur-
der you ~ and | passed the bright blade
of my knife close before his eyes Then,
before he had time to recover from the
shock of an attack so sudden and unex-
pected, had twisted the bell-rope into a
large loop, far out of his reach as he sat
there. 'Open your mouth" | said to him,
''but do not speak, or you die"


lie was shivering with fright, and had
hardly sense enough left TO understand
what said.


"AIercy! mercy! good young man.
he gasped, and then the piece of wood
was inserted between his teeth, and tied
securely in its place, and he could say no
more


next f stened his hands behind him
with my handkerchief, then drew n sheet
off the bed, and cutting II into Strips with
my knife, twisted these, and proceeded to
tie him securely in his chair. When
had satisfied myself that he was so fasten-
ed that it would be impossible for him to
release himself, and further, that he was
in no pan2er cf being cholled with the
gag, turned my attention to the win
dow, and having taken off my boots, 50
as to make as little noise as possible IN
crossing the floor, | proceeded to try the
shutters, and after five minutes patient
labor, succeeded in opening them almost
in silence.


The next point was the window; but
found, TO my dismay, when | came to
examine it, that it was composed of small
diamond panes set in lead, and opened
by means ola easement only, far toe
small to permit any hope of egress that
way. My whole scheme seemed to col
lapse as | looked, for my intention had
been TO escape through tho window. and
reach the ground by means Of a rope
made out Of the bed-cloihes. What to
do knew not, and as turned despair
ingly away, the old mans eyes met mnC
with malignant glance of mingled rage
and triumph. Suddenly a thought strucl,
me. Although the stout man, on leaving
the room, had locked the door behind
him, was it not probable that the old mar
| had in his possession another key that
would open it? This was a quest on tha,
| solved at once by searching him. and in
one Of his pockets | found peculiar key
ii mnstcr-key, Imagine it to have
been, which probably fitted every door in
the house at all events, it opened the
door Of my prison, as | was not long il
discovering. Although this was only the
first step towards my escape, could not
rcpress the joyous bounding of my heart
when the door turred on its hinges, and
stepped cautiously out on the landing. and
then stood listening to the murmur of tn
voices below stairs, But the most diff
cult part Of my enterprise was still before
me. This was TO pass without discovery
the open door of the room below, and
then 20 down the second flight of stairs tC
the ground-hoor, and SO out by the frs
door could find. The attempt, to sue,
ceed at all, must be made at once, befor,
the stout man came up st ,irs. which he
probably would do ere long, to look aftel
the safety of his prisoner.


Before venturing down in the direction
of the voices, | gave one last look rounC
my prison, and examined once more the
bonds Of the old man; then | blew ou
the candle and locked the doors ant
having removed the key, began to feel IN,
way down the stairs, one at a time, paus
ing TO listen between every step. Fortu
nately, the house was one of the old-fash
ioned kind, and strongly built, and no
the faintest creaking of stair betrayed
my presence. AT length | reached O
large landing, giving access to four rooms
The door OF one of these rooms was only
partially closed, and through the open
ing shone faint stream OF hight, Will,
now and then muttered word or two
whose tones at once recognized, told me
that there sat my captor and his friend
Their conversation was nearly over by the
time | reached the landing, but they still
seemed to be silently busy over something
What was the Defarious busines:
that occupied them at such an unhol,