e a screw-driver of one of the
foot-long flooring nails, by which I could take out the screw at
pleasure, so that at the time of examination no proofs could appear. The
rim round my body was but a small impediment, except the chain, which
passed from my hand-bar: and this I removed, by filing an aperture in one
of the links, which, at the necessary hour, I closed with bread, rubbed
over with rusty-iron, first drying it by the heat of my body; and would
wager any sum that, without striking the chain link by link, with a
hammer, no one not in the secret would have discovered the fracture.

The window was never strictly examined; I therefore drew the two staples
by which the iron bars were fixed to the wall, and which I daily
replaced, carefully plastering them over. I procured wire from
Gelfhardt, and tried how well I could imitate the inner grating: finding
I succeeded tolerably, I cut the real grating totally away, and
substituted an artificial one of my own fabricating, by which I obtained
a free communication with the outside, additional fresh air, together
with all necessary implements, tinder, and candles.

That the light might not be seen, I hung the coverlid of my bed before
the window, so that I could work fearless and undetected.

Every thing prepared, I went to work. The floor of my dungeon was not of
stone, but oak plank, three inches thick; three beds of which were laid
crossways, and were fastened to each other by nails half an inch in
diameter, and a foot long. Raving worked round the head of a nail, I
made use of the hole at the end of the bar, which separated my hands, to
draw it out, and this nail, sharpened upon my tombstone, made an
excellent chisel.

I now cut through the board more than an inch in width, that I might work
downwards, and having drawn away a piece of board which was inserted two
inches under the wall, I cut this so as exactly to fit; the small crevice
it occasioned I stopped up with bread and strewed over with dust, so as
to prevent all suspicious appearance. My labour under this was continued
with less precaution, and I had soon worked through my nine-inch planks.
Under them I came to a fine white sand, on which the Star Fort was built.
My chips I carefully distributed beneath the boards. If I had not help
from without, I could proceed no farther; for to dig were useless, unless
I could rid myself of my rubbish. Gelfhardt supplied me with some ells
of cloth, of which I made