d down the
passage, and then crept silently to the window. It was above my reach,
but by jumping I could just catch the bars and haul myself up. Not
being intended as a dungeon, the bars were loosely fixed, and I found
that it would be possible to remove one, and so allow room through which
to squeeze. The casement itself was of the ordinary kind, and opened
outwards with a simple catch-fastener.

Outside was a courtyard at the back of the guard-house, in which were
scattered sundry brooms and buckets, and a pile of rubbish in one
corner. By mounting this I calculated I could get my hands to the top
of the outer wall; and once over that, my chance was come.

I returned to my table and pretended to be occupied with writing, while
really I was listening with all my ears for any sound that might show on
which side of the prison the guard was set.

The Frenchman, I believe, had been quite correct in saying that the
company at present being entertained in the place was inconveniently
large; and if so, the guard set over them was probably dangerously
small. And if the executions were to begin at once, it was conceivable
they might be still smaller as the afternoon wore on. So, though I knew
that my precious half-hour was slipping by, I waited patiently for a
good part of it, till presently I heard a word of command, and a
confused tramp of footsteps down the passage.

This was the first batch of my luckless comrades being marched to their
death, and I shuddered as I thought how near I stood to their fate.

But cost what it would I would make a dash for freedom first. I sprang
to the window and hauled myself up on to the ledge. The loose bar gave
way after a very little coaxing, and next minute I was out of the
casement and in the little courtyard. One or two windows overlooked it,
but either these were too high for any one to look from, or there was no
one to look, or if there was, the attraction of the ghastly scene going
on at the other side took them the other way. And to this same
attraction, no doubt, was due the fact that no sentry was patrolling the
back of the prison.

I succeeded by means of the rubbish heap in scaling the wall. But
before leaping down on the other side, the thought occurred to me that
if I could hide somewhere near till night, I should have a better chance
of escaping with my pursuers ahead of me than behind me.

By following the line of the wall I found I could reach a corner of t