第60章

That night was fine, but the next was thick and misty.At nine o'clock all were in bed, and he lay listening to the clocks in the distance.Ten struck, and eleven, and when he thought it was approaching twelve he got up and crept to the window.He was joined immediately by the others; the turn-screw was set to work;and, as he expected, Vincent found no trouble whatever with the screws, which were not yet rusted in the wood, and turned immediately when the powerful screw-driver was applied to them.

When all were out the bar was carefully lifted from its place and laid upon the floor.

The rope was then put round one of the other bars and drawn through it until the two ends came together.These were then dropped to the ground below.Geary went first, Jackson followed, and Vincent was soon standing beside them.Taking one end of the rope, he pulled it until the other passed round the bar and fell at their feet.All three were barefooted, and they stole noiselessly across the yard to the seat, which was nearly opposite their window.Vincent had already fastened his clasp-knife to the end of the string, and he now threw it over the wall, which was about twenty feet high.

He had tied a knot at forty feet from the end, and, standing close to the wall, he drew in the string until the knot was in his hand.

Another two yards, and he knew that the knife was hanging a yard from the ground against the wall.He now drew it up and down, hoping that the slight noise the knife made against the wall might aid Dan in finding it.In two or three minutes he felt a jerk, and knew that Dan had got it.He fastened the end of the string to the rope and waited.The rope was gradually drawn up; when it neared the end he fastened it to the stone seat.

"Now," he said, "up you go, Geary."

The order in which they were to ascend had been settled by lot, as Geary insisted that Vincent, who had contrived the whole affair, should be the first to escape; but Vincent declined to accept the advantage, and the three had accordingly tossed up for precedence.

Geary was quickly over, and lowered himself on the opposite side.

The others followed safely, but not without a good deal of scraping against the wall, for the smallness of the rope added to the difficulty of climbing it.However, the noise was so slight that they had little fear of attracting attention, especially as the sentries would be standing in their boxes, for the rain was now coming down pretty briskly.As soon as they were down Vincent seized Dan by the hand.

"My brave lad," he said, "I owe you my freedom, and I sha'n't forget it.Now, where are the clothes?""Here day are, sah.One is a rough suit, like a workingman's;another is a black-and-white sort of suit-a check-suit; de oder one is for you-a clargy's suit, sir.You make very nice young minister, for sure.""All right, Dan!" Vincent said laughing; "give me the minister's suit.""Then I will be the countryman," Geary said.

There was a litte suppressed laughter as they changed their clothes in the dark; and then, leaving their uniforms by the wall, they shook hands and started at once in different directions, lest they might come across some one who would, when the escape was known, remember four men having passed him in the dark.

"Now, Dan, what is the next move?" Vincent asked as they walked off."Have you fixed upon any plan?""No special plan, sah, but I have brought a bag; you see I have him in my hand.""I suppose that's what you carried the clothes in?""No, sir; I carried dam in a bundle.Dis bag has got linen, and boots, and oder tings for you, sah.What I tink am de best way is dis.Dar am a train pass tron here at two o'clock and stop at dis station.Some people always get out.Dar is an hotel just opposite the station, and some of de passengers most always go there.Ithought the best way for you would be to go outside the station.

Just when the train come in we walk across de road wid the others and go to hotel.You say you want bedroom for yo'self, and that your sarvant can sleep in do ball.Den in de morning you get up and breakfast, and go off by do fust train.""But then they may send down to look at the passengers starting, and I should be taken at once.""De train go out at seven o'clock, sah.I don't expect day find dat you have got away before dat.""No, Dan.We all turn out at seven, and I shall be missed then; but it will be some little time before the alarm is given, and they find out how we got away, and send out search-parties.If the train is anything like punctual we shall be off long before they get to the station.""Besides, sab, dar are not many people knows your face, and it not likely de bery man dat know you come to the station.Lots of oder places to search, and day most sure to tink you go right away-not tink you venture to stop in town till the morning.""That is so, Dan; and I think your plan is a capital one."Dan's suggestion was carried out, and at seven o'clock next morning they ware standing on the platform among a number of other parsons waiting for the train.Just as the locomotive's whistle was heard the sound of a cannon boomed out from the direction of the prison.

"That means some of the prisoners have escaped," one of the porters on the platform said."There have been five or six of them got away in the last two months, but most of them have been caught again before they have gone far.You see, to have a chance at all, they have got to get rid of their uniforms, and as we are all Unionists about here that ain't an easy job for 'am to manage."Every one on the platform joined in the conversation, asking which way the fugitive would be likely to go, whether there ware any cavalry to send after him, what would be done to him if he were captured, and other questions of the same kind, Vincent joining in the talk.It was a relief to him when the train drew up, and he and Dan took their place in it, traveling, however, in different cars.

Once fairly away, Vincent had no fear whatever of being detected, and could travel where he liked, for outside the prison there were not ten people who knew his face throughout the Northern States.