Eagerly Mathias had pushed on, and finally got himself wedged inextricably.
He could neither move up nor down.
It was when he made this alarming discovery that his struggles became desperate, and in his wild efforts to free himself from his self-set trap, he tore and mutilated his flesh most cruelly.
The wounds and the want of air had done their work.
An hour's hard work succeeded in setting the prisoner free—or rather his body, for it was found that life had been extinct, according to the surgeon's report, before they had entered the cell.
And when they came to examine the clothes, they made a discovery which threw a light upon the whole affair.
A small scrap of paper, dirty and crumpled was found in his pocket, upon which was some writing that was with great difficulty construed in this wise—
"The only hope is from the waterside. If you can but reach the roof, and have the courage to make the plunge, freedom will be your reward."
How this note came there was never discovered.
With this dire catastrophe ended the efforts of the brigands to free their unhappy leader.