"I thought so; the lady no doubt who took charge of the letter?"
"The same."
"And you must be set free punctually on the 24th?"
"Yes, on the 25th the money would be irredeemably lost."
"H'm! that would be fatal. Well, I shall arrange it."
"You arrange it? Are you ever going to tell me how you intend to set us free?"
Anselmo peered cautiously about. The jailers were sleeping in the corners, and the other prisoners, as it was Sunday, were amusing themselves with the rat, which ran from board to board, performing the most difficult tricks.
"I will call our savior at once," whispered Anselmo, and, whistling softly, he called the little rat-king to him.
The rat immediately came to its master and climbed upon his knee. Anselmo took the animal in his hand, put it on its back, and took from under its thick, hairy skin a small, thin instrument called in galley-slave slang "cow's tail."
Benedetto uttered a cry of astonishment. Anselmo waved before his comrade's eyes a narrow little tooth-saw.