single hour on my account. I am all
right but my arm."

De Banyan was by no means as cheerful as he appeared to be. He was
troubled, and paced the room with uneasy tread; but, the moment the
doctor entered the room, he was as gay as a Broadway beau. Somers had
vainly attempted to persuade him to make his own escape, and leave him to
his fate; but the brave fellow steadily refused to desert him under any
circumstances that could possibly present themselves.

The captain was remarkably still for him, after Somers had convinced him
that he was able to move. He paced the room as before; but his eyes were
glancing uneasily at the floor, the ceiling, and the walls of the
apartment. The work had commenced in his mind; and Somers watched his
movements with interest, yet without hope. On one side of the fire-place
in the room there was a door, which was locked, but which evidently
opened into a closet.

Before this door, De Banyan suddenly came to a dead halt. He examined it
with the utmost care; and then with a fork from the breakfast things
which had not been removed, he commenced operations upon the lock. One of
the prongs of the fork was broken off between two bricks in the
fire-place, and the other bent; so that the instrument formed a very good
pick-lock. The door was opened without the expenditure of much time or
patience; and the captain proceeded to explore the interior of the
closet, after instructing his fellow-prisoner to give him timely warning
of any movement on the part of the sentinel.

Somers did not see the captain again for half an hour, but when he came
out he looked as though he had endured the tortures of a month of
suspense; but, with a ghastly smile, he told his companion that the hour
for action had come.

"What do you mean, captain?" demanded Somers.

"Let us use haste; we shall have more time to talk to-morrow, when we get
back to the camp on the other side of the James River. Are you very sure
that you can stand the fatigue of a long walk?"

"I know I can."

"Then come with me; but a particle of noise will be fatal to us."

De Banyan led the way to the closet; but, before he entered himself, he
tied together the two sheets of the bed, and made one end fast to one of
the bed-posts, near a window at the end of the house, which he opened
without noise. Dropping the sheet out, he retreated to the closet, and
with the pick-lock secured the door. They were in darkness now, and
seating themselves