Every part of his body was minutely inspected immediately on his arrival, in order that he might not take any money or tobacco into the prison.
Doubtless it is very desirable and even necessary that every precaution should be taken to prevent such articles finding their way into prisons—at least on the persons of prisoners; but the fact remains that, notwithstanding these inspections, both money and tobacco do find their way into prisons.
The trials of skill and invention which go on between the convict and the inspector, like those between artillery and iron plates, have as yet only proved that, given the power of resistance, the power of overcoming it will be found.
One of his fellow-prisoners verified the truth of this conclusion by taking five sovereigns into prison with him, notwithstanding all the care and experience exercised by the inspector.
Every prisoner on first entering the convict service has to undergo nine months of separate confinement in a cell by himself, working in that cell, and never leaving it except for exercise or to go to chapel.
Daring that nine months no remission is given; but for the remainder of his time, if he obtains the full quantum of eight marks a day, which, curiously, he earned by good conduct and the completion of his day’s work, whatever that may be, he is allowed a remission of equal to three months in each year, or one-fourth of his sentence, except the nine months.
The full amount of marks for a man to earn in a year is 2920.
If less than this number is earned, so much remission is lost.
It is seldom that a man goes through the whole of his service without losing some marks.
The day after the arrival of our hero and his fellow-prisoners they were all ordered to strip a second time for medical examination, and as a considerable time elapsed before Peace’s turn came he had to remain in that state rather longer than was good for him.