municate with you speedily."

"That, of course, is of vital importance," the bailiff said. "But how is
it to be managed?"

"That is what I cannot exactly see, Sir John. An armed guard remains in
our room all night. But, in the first place, he might be himself in the
plot, and if not, the slaves would almost certainly overpower him and
kill him, as a preliminary to the work of knocking off their chains."

"Is there a window to the room? At least, of course there is a window,
but is it within your reach?"

"There are six small loopholes--one on each side of the door, and two in
each of the side walls; they are but four inches across and three feet
in length, and there are two crossbars to each; they are four feet from
the floor."

"At any rate, they are large enough for your arm to pass through, Sir
Gervaise, and you might drop a strip of cloth out."

"Certainly I could, Sir John. I could easily hide a piece of white
cotton a yard or so long in my clothes, scanty as these are, and could
certainly manage, unobserved, to drop it outside the window."

"Then the rest is for us to contrive, Boswell. We must have some one
posted in the yard of the prison, with instructions to go every ten
minutes throughout the night to see if a strip of white cotton has been
dropped out. When he finds it he must go at once to William Neave, the
governor. He is a sturdy Englishman, and there is no fear of his having
been bribed to turn traitor; but it were well to take no one into
our confidence. I think we cannot do better than employ Ahmet on this
business, as he already knows that Sir Gervaise is masquerading there.
We will have William Neave up here presently. Tell him that for certain
reasons we wish Ahmet to pass the night for the present in the prison,
and arrange with him on what excuse we can best bestow him there without
exciting suspicion. At any rate, Sir Gervaise, that is our affair."

He went to a closet and took out a white mantle, tore a strip off the
bottom, and gave it to Gervaise.

"It would be best not to keep you here any longer," he said, "so renew
your stain while I speak. As soon as you learn the details of the plot,
you will drop this out from the loophole on the right hand side of the
door; that is to say, the one on your right, standing inside. If the
affair is not to come off at once, it were best for you to proceed as
before. Ahmet will be outside when you go out with your gang, and on
your nodding to him