To my surprise I could not see a single person, save the soldier who appeared at the corner once in every two or three minutes as he paced his beat at the end of the building. It seemed extraordinary that there should be no others in sight; but such was the fact, and surely we had no reason to complain because the enemy was careless.
A few hours later I understood the reason for this seeming neglect of the prisoners.
My comrades were ready for the work on hand immediately I gave the alarm, and swiftly the three of us crossed over, I wondering if it would be possible for us to throw the rope to the roof where the sailors could catch it.
As soon as the line was made fast a man slipped down quickly followed by another. P. 335.
As we neared the building I saw that Darius had already made arrangements for getting one end of the rope into his possession.
A bit of cloth was swinging to and fro at the corner of the jail when I arrived, and taking hold of it curiously, I saw that it was made fast to a string formed of two or three strands of yarn.
The old sailor had unraveled their socks in order to procure that which would enable them to haul up the rope.