being racked and torn with pain. His shrieks, moans, and groans,
echoing and re-echoing through the still hours of the summer evening,
sounded so weird, uncanny, and nerve-racking as to make our blood run
cold. At each outburst we shivered and strove hard, though vainly, to
shut out the terrible sounds from our ears.

After the Zouave had been strung up for some time I decided to creep out
and up to him to ascertain from direct close observation the effects of
this treatment upon the victim. Stealing out of the barracks, thereby
running the risk of encountering a bullet from the sentry's rifle, I
stealthily made my way to the post. By the time I gained the spot the
weak wretch was in a fearful plight. The ropes had been drawn so tightly
round his wrists and ankles as to cause the circulation of the blood
through the hands and feet to cease, while the flesh immediately above
the knots was swelling up in a fearful manner. All sense of feeling in
the hands and feet having gone, the man was hanging limply, instead of
standing against the post. He writhed and twisted in frenzied efforts to
secure some relief while in this uncomfortable position, but each
movement only caused further pain and the unintentional utterance of
piercing shrieks. Upon the exhaustion of this spasm the upper part of
his body dropped forward slightly so that his head fell down upon his
chest.

For a few seconds he would stand or rather hang, perfectly still and
quiet. Then as he made another attempt to secure a change of position
shafts of pain would shoot through him, causing him to shriek again for
a few seconds in the most agonising manner, which made me start and
shiver. While his shrieks were terrifying it was the long-drawn out wail
and moan in which they ended which were more unnerving. They sounded
like the agonised howls of an animal caught in a trap and suffering
untold torment.

But each successive outburst grew weaker. The body dropped more and more
forward until it could fall no farther owing to the retaining rope. His
head dropped lower and lower upon his chest, which had the effect of
interfering with respiration. The man would throw his head wildly about
in frantic efforts to breathe, but to little purpose. His face commenced
to assume a ghastly bluish colour; his distended eyes almost started
from his head; while his mouth, now wide open, allowed his tongue to
loll and roll in a manner vividly reminiscent of a maniac restrained in