"All right, colonel. Good-by; I may never see you again."
"Good-by, Eben. Take care of yourself, and may Heaven bless you."
Several times Allen tried to communicate with Eben, and to try to dissuade him from his hazardous undertaking, but the youth felt instinctively that he would do so, and remained out of reach of his beloved colonel's voice.
When night came Eben managed to get to the side of the ship unobserved, and in a few moments he had dropped noiselessly into the water.
But, as ill luck would have it, he got entangled in some chains as he struck out from the ship, and the noise attracted the attention of the guard.
"Man overboard!" he cried.
Allen heard the cry and his heart stood still, for he was sure Eben would be captured, and then nothing could save his life.
The officer in charge of the prisoners heard the cry also, and at once ordered every man to answer to his name.
It was the work of but a few minutes, and it was ascertained that Eben had really escaped.
"Do you see him?" asked the captain.