To-morrow morning, at daybreak,
let us begin."

Marc Poivre, the man he had alluded to, was a tall, lank fellow, with
muscles of iron, and sunken fiery eyes, that betokened a fierce temper
which would not brook much contradiction.

"I say, wait!" was his sententious reply.

"What for?" said Malin.

"Till the days get shorter still. Till we know more for certain that the
others are ready. Till the soldiers have lost the suspicions they
certainly have, that something is up. Only to-day I heard one of the red-
coats say to his fellow, 'When are they going to kick up a row?' You
know, yourself, Malin, they have doubled the guard all round."

"Are you afraid?" sneered Malin.

The sunken eyes burned. But it was not the time for quarrelling: so
Poivre restrained himself, and only said, "I will answer you another
time. Begin to-morrow if you will. Have your own way. I am content."

All the others agreed to this, for Poivre was not popular among them. He
was too fond of brawling; and most councils, especially small ones, are
ruled by personal prejudices of some sort, rather than by honest,
independent opinion.

Then all the councillors got on their legs, and shouted, "Silence!
Silence!"

It took some little time to get it owing to the babel that was going on.
At last they prevailed, and then Malin addressed those present in his
stentorian voice:

"Brothers! Our captivity will end to-morrow. It will be our own fault
if we are not all free men before another sun sets. Then many hours of
darkness will befriend us. Hide by day and hurry on by night. Make for
the sea, but not all in the same direction. With the first light of day,
our companions, all over the prison, will see the red flag flying. Then
shout! Shout every one of you. Keep on shouting! and the walls of our
jail will fall down flat."

"Like the walls of Jericho," cried a derisive voice. Some said Poivre's.
Malin knew it was, and did not forget it. But it damped his ardour for a
moment, though the prisoners were too numerous to hear, or too interested
to heed it.

"To-morrow! Liberty!" was all the mighty voice of Malin could add; and
then an outburst of cheers followed that made the red tiles of the long
roof rattle.

The morning broke; and then, sure enough, the guards observed the red
flag waving in the breeze. They had not long to wait before the meaning
of it was made plain. A tremendous shout arose from the yard where the
fla