The Argosy, Vol. 61, No. 4 — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

DONE BROWN. ber, but great iron things that might have been cousins to the key of the Bastile. I was now ready to depart, but was in no hurry. It was not quite dark enough. Yet, on the other hand, I dared not wait till it was too dark, for if conditions as I found them outside made it expedient for me to hurry to find Quinchincha and his boat, I could not see the road. At last I judged the time to be ripe. I made an examination of the guard. He was still unconscious, but breathing. I made sure the fastenings were all good. Then I stepped out of the cell and locked the door behind me. The cell opened into a narrow passage, with two or three cells like mine ranging along it, but they were all open. The place was lighted by a gloomy lantern hung on a peg, but it was sufficient to en- able me to make my way. I remembered the location of the stairs down which we had come, and finding nobody in the lower dungeons, I cau- tiously went up. On the upper floor there was better light, but all from lanterns. One lone sentry was leaning against the wall, smo- king a cigarette. I lit one also, bending my heag and hiding my face with my hands till I got close to him. ‘How is the pig of an American?” he asked, thinking he was talking to his fellow guard. With a tigerlike spring, before he could even gasp, I had him by the throat. His eyes bulged in terror. He car- . ried a short-barreled rifle. Taking this, I banged him on the head —remorselessly, if you like, willing to kill him, if you like; but I had resolved that no lives should stand between Nellie Innors and liberty that night, even if I lost my own. | I soon had him battered into insensi- bility, and dragged him back, down the old stairway, and locked him in the cell with the other fellow. Now I knew what to do, and knew that I had to do it quickly. I had no doubt that there were at least a dozen or more of the same kind guard- ing, or pretending to guard, the main en- trance. I did not know whether this was locked or not. I threw away the cigarette I had light- 597 ed, and took another. I walked to the main entrance, and repeated the lighting performance. ~ An officer sat within the open doorway, dozing. Half a dozen sol- diers lolled about, jesting, smoking, un- conscious of any danger. I turned, and with my rifle, and the swing I assumed to match their own shuf- fling gait, walked back again. I had no idea where any of the Innors family had been placed, but that made no difference. Getting out of sight from the entrance, I opened the first cell I came to. As the light from a lantern fell inside, a huge negro whose eyes were gleaming with a murderous hate seemed about to spring on me. I made him a sign of friendship, and stepped inside the cell. | ‘‘ Listen,” I said, speaking in a whis- per, “‘and make no noise. I am a pris- oner as well as you. Do you want to escape? ”’ ‘“ Heavens, yes. I am to be shot.” ‘Will you do just what I tell you?” 6c Yes.”’ “Walk lightly and follow me. know the prison well, I suppose. me to the cells.” ‘In one we found a man half dead with hunger, who in his mad frenzy began to curse. The big negro silenced him with a word. He joined us. In that way, guided by the big negro, who had probably occupied half the cells at different times, I went along, liberating everybody. It mattered not to me what crimes they had committed against the ‘wretches who had committed such horri- ble crimes against those I loved. Opening one cell, I found Innors. “Hush,” I whispered. “Come with me. I am Ford.” Silently, wonderingly, he followed me. In another I found Mrs. Innors and Nellie. This was the most comfortable place of all, and consisted really of a suite of three rooms. I did not, however, waste any grati- tude on their captors. Still, their im- prisonment had perhaps saved them from greater perils in their helplessness. I sent Innors in to explain that they keep abso- lutely quiet. “Ts that aki?” I asked the negro. ‘What is up in the towers? ”’ You Take EO OO (Cc (©