“I hadn’t the heart to,” returned Macgreggor. “You boys were all so cheerful.”
Watson cleared his voice.
“I tell you what it is, boys,” he whispered, as he gave Waggie a mournful pat; “if we don’t want to be buried in an Atlanta graveyard we must escape!”
George’s white face flushed at the thought. The idea of liberty was dazzling, after so many weary days.
“Well,” said one of the men, in the same low tone, “it’s better to escape, and run the risk of failing or of being re-captured, than to rot here until we are led out to be hanged.”
“Let’s invent a plan that will enable us not only to get out, but to stay out,” laughed Jenks.
There was dead silence for nearly ten minutes. The men, who had been sitting on the floor watching two of their number at a game of checkers, were deep in thought. At last Watson opened his lips.
“I have a plan,” he whispered. “Tell me what you think of it. You know that about sunset the darkies come into the rooms to leave us our supper. The jailer stands outside. Then, later, the jailer comes and takes away the dishes. He is then alone. Suppose we seize him, gag him, take his keys, unlock all the doors on this floor, and release all the prisoners. As you know, there are a number besides our own party—whites and negroes. All this must be quietly done, however, if it is to prove successful. Then we can go down-stairs, without making any noise, overpower the seven sentinels, take their guns, and make off, after locking up these gentlemen.”
Watson went further into details, to show the probable workings of his scheme. It was finally agreed that the dash was well worth the trial. As Jenks remarked: “It’s either that or a few feet of cold rope, and a coffin!”
The late afternoon of the next day was fixed upon for the escape. In addition to the fourteen remaining adventurers, a Union captain from East Tennessee, who shared the room with them, was to be associated in this daring enterprise. It seemed to George as if the hour would never come; but as the sun began to sink gradually towards the horizon on the following afternoon he realized, from the feverish restlessness of the whole party, that there was not much longer to wait.