“How long is a recruit before he begins to be a soldier, and takes his regular turn as guard and so on?”
“Two or three months,” the man said; “that is long enough to get them into something like shape.”
“I should like to go in and have a look at the prisoners,” Will said after a little chat.
“Well, there is no chance of your doing that,” the soldier replied. “Orders are very strict, and only three or four hucksters are allowed to go in, to sell things to them.”
“How many are there of them?”
“About three thousand.”
He chatted for some time, and then, after calling for another pint of beer all round, sauntered out, leaving the soldiers to finish it. He saw at once that his only possible plan in the time he had at his command was either to bribe some of the guards, which appeared to him too hazardous a plan to [pg 304]adopt, and not likely to lead to success, or to get at one or other of the people who were allowed in.
He spent two days watching the gate of the prison. During that time five people in civilian dress went in. One of these was a short fat woman, who carried a large basket with cakes and other eatables. Another was similarly laden. A third, a man of about his own height, took in a variety of material used by the prisoners for making articles for sale. He had needles and thread, scraps of materials of many colours for making patchwork quilts, blocks of wood for carving out model ships, straw dyed various colours for making fancy boxes, glass beads, and other small articles. Will at once fixed on him as being the most likely of the visitors to serve his purpose. He spoke to him after he had left the prison.
“My friend,” he said, “do you want to earn fifty pounds?”
The man opened his eyes in surprise.