“Sound as a bell—our luck is good—it must have struck every other part of the cell.”
“Better it had not missed us,” said I, after a pause; “we are only spared for the garrotte.”
“I am not so sure of that, Captain,” replied my companion, in a manner that seemed to imply he had still hopes of an escape.
“Where that shell came in,” he continued, “something else may go out. Let us see—was it the roof?”
“I think so.”
We groped our way hand in hand towards the centre of the room, looking upwards.
“Peste!” ejaculated Raoul; “I can’t see a foot before me—my eyes are filled—bah!”
So were mine. We stood waiting. The dust was gradually settling down, and we could perceive a faint glimmer from above. There was a large hole through the roof!
Slowly its outlines became defined, and we could see that it was large enough to pass the body of a man; but it was at least fourteen feet from the floor, and we had not timber enough to make a walking-stick!
“What is to be done? We are not cats, Raoul. We can never reach it!”