"Guess I'll play Shakespeare myself," he murmured, and after some thought, scribbled down the following:
| "And I am jugged |
| Alone in solitude, and by myself |
| Alone. I sit and think, and think, |
| And think again. Old Crabtree, |
| Base villain that he is, hath put me here! |
| And why? Ah, thereby hangs a tale, Horatio! |
| His teeth, the teeth that chew the best of steak |
| Set on our table—those I found and hid; |
| And Mumps, the sneak, hath told on me! Alas! |
| When will my martyrdom end?" |
Having finished his attempt at blank verse, Pepper continued to walk around the room. He was hungry and cold, and inside of an hour grew somewhat desperate.
"Crabtree has no right to starve me and allow me to catch cold," he told himself. "I don't believe Captain Putnam will stand for it. I'm going to attract some attention."
He took up one of the chairs and with it commenced to pound on the door. He had been pounding for several minutes when he heard some one on the outside.
"Pepper!" came in a low voice.
"Oh, Jack, is that you?"
"Yes. Stop that noise, or I'll get caught."
"I want to get out. I haven't had any breakfast, and it is as cold as Greenland in here."
"If I had a key I'd let you out, but it isn't in the lock," went on the young major.