had been able to keep my resolve, and contend
bravely against the craving appetite of hunger.

Thirsty I never was. I had no uneasiness on this score. My ration of
water was quite enough for me, and more than enough. On most days I
used far short of the allowance, and could drink as much as I wanted.

The supply of biscuits I had brought inside, when shutting myself up
against the rats, was at length exhausted. I was glad of this. It
proved that time was passing away--two weeks must have elapsed, as I had
counted the biscuits at the commencement of this period, and found that
they were just the allowance for so long. The time, then, had come
round for me to go back to my larder, and procure a fresh supply.

As I proceeded to do so, a singular apprehension arose in my mind. It
came suddenly, as if an arrow had been shot into my heart. It was the
presentiment, of a great misfortune; or not exactly a presentiment, but
a fear caused by something I had noticed only the minute before. I had
heard a noise outside, which as usual I attributed to my neighbours the
rats. Often, indeed almost continually, similar noises had proceeded
from without, but none that impressed me like this, for it appeared to
reach me from a new direction--the direction of the biscuit-box.

My fingers trembled as I removed the web; and still more as I thrust my
hands into the box. Merciful heavens! _the box was empty_!

No, not empty. As I plunged my hand deeper, it rested upon something
soft and smooth--a rat. The animal sprang suddenly aside as it felt my
touch, and I drew back my hand with a like rapid movement. Mechanically
I felt in another place, only to touch another rat, and then another,
and another! The box appeared half full of them, side by side, as close
as they could sit. They leaped about and scattered off in different
directions, some even jumping against my breast, as they shot out by the
aperture, and others striking the sides of the box, and uttering loud
cries.

I succeeded in routing them. But, alas! when they were gone, and I
proceeded to examine my store, I found, to my chagrin, that nearly the
whole of my biscuits were gone too! All of them that were left were
broken to pieces, and nothing remained in the box, but a pile of crumbs
covering the bottom, upon which the rats had been feeding at the moment
I surprised them.

This was an evil of the grandest magnitude; and I was so overwhelmed
upon the discover