"That Englishman was Irish," said young Jack.
"Possibly; but he was a priest. He was confined here for a long while. So long that he went mad."
"Mad, did you say?"
"Yes, and raving at last; his madness appeared to have so much method in it that it quite deceived our head doctor."
"How did he deceive the head doctor?"
"By his apparent sanity. He was mad as a March hare, and he used to rave about having discovered the way out of the prison."
The two boys pricked up their ears at this speech.
"What was more natural?" said Sebastian. "A prisoner is always thinking how he can get away."
"Of course."
"And yet," said Sebastian, "the old priest was sure he had discovered the way to elude our vigilance when he chose to put his plan into execution; and his dying words startled us."