A Servant of Satan: Romantic Career of Prado the Assassin — page 109: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SERVANT OF SATAN. 101 - heat and foul odors due to the want of proper ventilation - were indescribable, and the men, driven almost frantic by thirst and hunger, rendered the long, weary hours of the night still more hideous with their yells, oaths, and execra- tions. Atabout 2 o'clock in the morning a fearful cry of agony rang through the building: | ‘Help! Help! They are killing: me! Let me go, cowards! Help for the love of God!”. _ A great silence followed this heart-rending appeal,. which’ was only broken by the sound of a few shuddering gasps. A few minutes later the pandemonium broke loose again with increased violence and continued until morning. When day began to pierce through the grated windows the cause of the awful cries for help which had made the blood of even some of the most hardened criminals run cold became apparent. Stretched on the ground, with his open eyes distented by pain and terror, lay thedead body of the con- vict who during the voyage out had volunteered to act as the ‘‘ corrector” on the occasion of the flogging of Frederick and of the three men who attempted to escape with him in the harbor of Santa Cruz. Death had evidently been caused _ by strangulation, for purple finger-marks were plainly visi- ble on the victim’s throat. At 6 o’clock the doors were thrown open, and the warders ordered the prisoners to file out into the open air. After having been ranged in line, the roll was called. ‘The several numerals by which the respective convicts were known were called forth and responded to by their owners. Suddenly there was a pause caused bythe failure of No. 21,265, to answer the summons. “Where the devil is No. 21,265?” shouted the head warder, in an angry tone of voice. | The convicts remained silent. Fearing thatthe missing man had escaped, several of the _ £*gardes-chiousmes”’ (sub-warders) rushed into the building Gomicboo <S) Go 3