At the Point of the Sword

by Herbert Hayens

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  AN OPEN-AIR PRISON.

  There were fifteen or sixteen Patriot officers of all ranks in theprison, and I found most of them jolly fellows. We lived all togetherin two large rooms, one of which was used as a bedroom. In addition,we were allowed at certain hours to walk up and down a long corridor,so that we got a fair amount of exercise.

  Alzura and a few of the other youngsters spent much time in planningmethods of escape, and they were glad of any suggestions I could offer.As a rule, our arrangements ended in talk. The viceroy put his trustrather in keen-eyed sentries than in locks, bolts, and strong walls.An armed man stood on either side of the door leading to the corridor,which was itself guarded by a chain of soldiers. At the yard-door,through which we were not permitted to pass, an officer with severalmen always stood on duty.

  Three or four times every week, in the middle of the night, aninspecting officer would summon us to get up and answer our names.This was a great nuisance, as it disturbed our sleep, but fortunatelyit did not take long. We slept on the floor fully dressed and wrappedin our ponchos, so there was no delay in making our toilets.

  We were given sufficient food--of a sort; but we had no amusements ofany kind, and absolutely nothing to do. Our sole occupation waswalking round and round the room like caged bears, and chatting aboutthe war.

  Most of us voted Alzura a bore in this respect, but I think on thewhole he did us good. His was the first voice heard in the morning,and the last at night. He was equally ready to talk with ensign orgeneral, and on any subject under the sun. He would jest or laugh, or,I really believe, weep with you at a moment's notice. He wouldinstruct the artillery officer in the management of guns, advise thecavalryman how to ride, and show the general the best way to order abattle. Alzura was a genius, and most of us were only now beginning tofind it out.

  When the talk turned to the best way of escaping, he was delightful.Never was there a fellow with such ingenious schemes; only, as ithappened, they were not quite suitable to our circumstances. Had webeen in an underground cell, with massive walls and an iron door, hewould have had us out in less than no time. When I mentioned casuallythat we were not so placed, he would reply good-humouredly, "No, dearboy, but some day you may be, and then my instructions will come inhandy. But, as you say, the position at present is slightly different.First, we have to pass the sentry on this side of the door. I supposewe are all agreed on that point? Well, then, having got rid of him--"

  "But we haven't got rid of him!"

  "No; quite true. I can see him from here, and a very surly fellow helooks. I wonder the officer doesn't give us some one with a moreamiable face. However, that's outside the argument. Now, supposing wehad disposed of this fellow, the question is, what to do next."

  "But we haven't disposed of him!"

  "Just so; but we ought to be prepared in case he is withdrawn, oranything of that sort, you know. However, if you won't follow myadvice, it's no use giving it. It's simply folly to go on talking."

  "I felt convinced you would say something sensible before you hadfinished," laughed one of the youngsters gaily.

  Alzura laughed too, and gave the fellow a playful tap on the head, forhe loved a joke whoever chanced to be the victim.

  That same evening he told us of a fresh plan--for Alzura was as full ofplans as an egg is of meat--and before he came to the end, we werelaughing so uproariously that the sentry ordered us to make less noise.

  "I daresay you fellows have wasted the day as usual," he began; "thatis the worst of having some one to do your thinking for you. I reallywish you wouldn't depend so much on me."

  "That's the penalty of being so clever, my boy. The world alwaysoverworks its greatest men. It's quite reasonable, after all."

  "But it's hard on me, nevertheless," observed Alzura; "though I supposeone ought not to complain of being a genius. Well, I've been workingmy brains all day--"

  "Your what?"

  "Oh, shut up, and let me speak! I've hit on a lovely plan: it willwork like a machine; it can't possibly fail. We have been on the wrongtack, trying to meet force with force. What we want is craft. Do youfollow me, boys?"

  "Yes, yes; go on! Let's hear the lovely plan."

  "When you do hear it, you will wonder why no one thought of it before.It is simple beyond belief, almost."

  "A true mark of genius, Alzura. But we're waiting to hear thisinfallible plan."

  "Well, look here. Just study that sentry's face a minute. Who is helike? Don't know? Why, isn't he just like our friend Crawford?"

  The little group laughed with delight, while I said reproachfully, "Oh,come, Alzura!"

  "Not so much the face, dear boy," said he, "but the figure. He's justyour height and build; you will admit that. And his clothes will fityou, Juan. Now, do you see?"

  I confessed to being still in a fog, so he continued his explanations.

  "This is the idea," said he. "You and Barriero--Barriero iswonderfully strong--stroll down to him presently. Pretend you want toask him a question. That will put him off his guard. What happens?You spring on him suddenly, clap a rag in his mouth, and with our helphold him so that he cannot struggle. Then you exchange clothes andstand on guard. When the relief comes you march away. Understand?"

  "Nothing could be simpler," I murmured, while we were all nearlychoking with suppressed laughter.

  "Grand, isn't it?" said he. "I knew you would be struck."--Iwas.--"Then we'll serve the next fellow the same way, and the next, andso on till we are all out. After that we'll seize the viceroy--"

  But by this time we were convulsed with laughter, and the sentry, in novery gentle tones, advised us to be quiet.

  "It's a great scheme, Alzura," I said presently, "a wonderful scheme,but it can't be carried out. Suppose the trick was discovered after myescape, all you fellows would be punished sharply, and I shouldn't likethat."

  "No," said he, in a disappointed tone; "I thought your scruples mightstand in the way."

  Alzura's plan was still fresh in our minds when the Royalists showed ushow to pass the sentry. One morning, directly after breakfast, anofficer entered the room with a number of soldiers, and we were orderedto stand in line. Producing a paper, he read a list of the names, andeach man, as he answered, was told to step forward. Then we weremarshalled in twos, the left arm of one man being tied to the right ofthe other. My companion was Alzura, and very disgusted he looked atthe treatment.

  "What are they going to do with us?" he asked.

  "I don't know. Perhaps they heard we wanted to get away, and areobliging us."

  "Silence!" roared a Royalist sergeant; "no talking!" And Alzuragroaned. How was he to live if he had to keep his tongue still?

  A long strip of tough hide was now brought, and was knotted atintervals to the fastenings between each pair of prisoners. It formeda sort of gigantic single rein, and I suggested in a whisper to Alzurathat we were to be harnessed to the viceroy's chariot.

  "'Twill save horseflesh, and we shall be doing something for ourliving," I added.

  Some of the soldiers now went to the front of us, some to the rear; thedoor was flung wide open. "March!" cried the officer, and into thecorridor we marched, through the yard, and so into the open road.

  "Out at last," I remarked to Alzura. "The Royalists have hit on aneven simpler plan than yours."

  "Simple, but not clever. There is no art in this kind of thing."

  "Oh, isn't there?" I laughed, giving the thongs a tug. "Thearrangement strikes me as unusually artistic."

  "You are trying to be witty, dear boy. Don't. The Royalists will berevenged on us, and who shall blame them? Hullo, they aren't taking usinto the town!"

  "No; we're going for a pleasure trip somewhere, I expect. How kind ofthem to think we need a change!--I say, Barriero, don't you think thisis an improvement on Alzura's plan?"

  Barriero, who was one of the couple in front of us, laughed and said,"Well, I can't s
ay yet. I'll tell you when I know more about it."

  At the gate of the prison our escort had been strengthened by a numberof horsemen, who now rode on either side of us, so that any hope ofescaping was quite extinguished. We knew nothing as to ourdestination, which I think the officer in charge did not make knowneven to his subordinates. A few people stood at the outskirts of thetown to watch us pass, but during the remainder of the day we saw noone except our guards.

  The march was terribly painful and fatiguing, though I have no wish tosuggest that we were ill-treated. The fact was, the long confinementwe had undergone made us keenly alive to the trials of a wearisomejourney such as this. About midday a halt was called, our fasteningswere loosened, while we were allowed to sit down and eat a ration ofmeat which was served out to each of us. Some of the soldiers rested;others stood on guard, with orders to shoot any man who made theslightest effort to escape.

  "They needn't fear my running far," said Alzura ruefully, showing mehis bleeding feet.

  "Caramba!" cried a soldier sitting near, "that won't do, senor. Therocks are sharp in this part of the country. Wait; I have some greenhides in my knapsack. I'll make you some sandals if the colonel haltsfor an hour."

  "I shall be very grateful for your kindness," said Alzura; "the pain inmy feet has kept me from admiring the scenery, and there are some grandviews about here."

  "I've seen finer in Lima," muttered the man, who was already busy athis self-imposed task.

  "Give me some stuff," said one of his comrades; "I'll make one sandalwhile you make the other. The youngster will have his feet cut to thebone. He ought to be at school instead of marching about the country."

  "I'm not eager to march," laughed Alzura; "I'll stay behind willingly."

  "Ugh!" exclaimed the first soldier, "you would soon be dead in thiswilderness. We have seen some sights in this district--haven't we,Alonzo?"

  "That we have," replied his companion, "and I don't want to see anymore of them."

  The two worthy fellows worked so industriously that in less than halfan hour the sandals were completed, the holes pierced, and the lacesput in, all ready for use.

  "I don't know how to thank you," said Alzura earnestly, "but if wemanage to live through this war, I may be able to pay you back. Atpresent you must take the will for the deed."

  "It's all right, senor; we could not see you suffer like that. And ourofficer will say we did right. Just in time, too! There's the summonsto assemble."

  At the evening halt we were again set free a short time, beingrefastened for the night. After travelling for four days in this way,we saw from the top of a high hill the waters of a magnificent lake,studded with islets. It seemed quite near; but several hours passedbefore we reached its border--a broad morass, through which ran devioustracks.

  Our leader now stopped, and we saw a number of soldiers carefullycrossing one of the tracks from the lake. As soon as they reached uswe were unbound and placed in single file, while the chief of theescort said, "The journey is ended. Yonder is your home while the warlasts. It is not a lively place, but you will be out of mischief.Follow your guides, and walk carefully; you will not enjoy sinking inthe quagmires."

  We appreciated his advice more when, about half-way across, a stoutmiddle-aged major, missing his footing, plunged into the liquid mud.In an instant he was immersed to the chin, and but for Barriero, whograsped his head, would have disappeared altogether. As it was, hepresented a miserable appearance, and showed us how terrible was thedanger.

  Several boats were moored at the edge of the lake, and an officerdirected us to get in, one by one. Barriero, Alzura, and I entered thesame boat; which was fortunate, as the prisoners were divided intothree groups and taken to different islets.

  There were six of us in our group, and twelve soldiers under thecommand of a non-commissioned officer. The guard occupied comfortablequarters, while three mud huts were reserved for us. The islet wasquite bare of trees, and was so small that Alzura pretended he couldnot stretch his legs comfortably for fear of slipping into the water.

  The men who had rowed us over did not land, but took the boats toanother islet, much larger than ours, which we guessed to be theheadquarters of this novel prison.

  "The governor of this place is a clever warder," remarked Barriero;"there's no getting away from here."

  "Why not?" I asked.

  "The risk is too great. Just think for a minute. First one would haveto swim to the shore, and then cross the morass in the dark, as itwould not be possible to escape in the daytime. It's really waste oftime to mount a guard over us."

  "We must set our wits to work," observed Alzura gravely.

  "No, no," I cried; "Barriero's is the only way, and a very poor one itis. The swim is a trifle, but to cross the morass--"

  "Why not build a bridge?" suggested Alzura.

  "And use our bodies as part of the foundations," said Barriero,laughing. "If you make any more idiotic remarks, Alzura, I'll throwyou into the lake."

  "All right," said he. "You'll be sorry when Crawford and I escape andleave you behind."

  "I've a long time to wait," replied Barriero, "so I'll pass some of itin sleep."

  Alzura and I shared one of the huts between us. There was nofurniture; the floor was of mud, and so were the walls, while the roofwas thatched with some dried vegetable matter. The place was notexactly a palace, but it sheltered us, and for that we were thankful.

  The sergeant in charge of the islet was a good-humoured fellow.Feeling sure that we could not escape, he treated us quite genially,though maintaining discipline at the same time. He often talked of thewar, giving us news now and again of events which never happened.

  On the third morning after our arrival, we saw several boats leave themain island and visit the various islets on which prisoners were kept.

  "That's the governor making a tour of his kingdom," the sergeantexplained. "He is bringing us a week's provisions, and will no doubthave a peep at his new subjects."

  The governor was a Spanish officer, quite old, but stiff and erect inspite of his many years. He ordered us to draw up in line, called ournames from the list, hoped we should be comfortable, ordered thesergeant to put in irons any man who disobeyed him, wished us allgood-morning in courtly old-world style, stepped into his boat, and wasrowed away.

  "Not a word about attempting to escape!" remarked Barriero.

  The sergeant heard the remark, and said with a laugh, "It is needless,senor. No one ever got away from here. Some have tried, and they areat the bottom of the morass. Why, even I would not venture to crossthat terrible place, except in broad daylight with a trusty guide. Ifyou think of trying, senor, let me advise you to stay where you are.Here you can be comfortable; there--ugh!" and the man shuddered at thevery thought of it.

  "Your advice is good, sergeant, and I intend to profit by it," criedBarriero. "We saw one man slip when we were crossing, and I shan'tforget his face in a hurry. Caramba! it makes me shiver yet."

  "Besides," continued the sergeant, "suppose that by some miracle youcross the marsh, what would happen then? You would die of hunger. ButI will grant you a further miracle. You shall cross the mountains andjoin your friends. Is the danger over? It is but just beginning. Youwill be killed in battle. But your luck clings to you, and you stillsurvive. Well, then, the war comes to an end; you are hunted down,captured with arms on you, and shot as rebels."

  "What a charming picture, sergeant!" laughed Alzura. "It seems to mewe are better off where we are."

  "I am glad for your own sake that you think so," said the officergravely. "I grow attached to my birds with their clipped wings, andonly desire their welfare. There was a young fellow here once, apretty boy, senor, like yourself"--Alzura bowed gracefully--"and I hadgrown to love him. But he got tired of the place and the company, Isuppose, and one night he slipped into the water. I fired my musket,and a boat which is always kept ready started in pursuit. He reachedthe morass first,
and found a track. My men followed cautiously. Theycould not see him, but presently they knew there was no need to gofurther."

  "How?" asked Alzura curiously.

  "The shriek of the boy as he went to his death told them what hadhappened. Ah, it was not the first time some of them had heard such awail!"

  "Sergeant," said Alzura, "you tell such lively stories that I wonder atany one becoming tired of your society!"

  "You are pleased to be merry," replied the man, "and I, too, can be thesame, only not when speaking of the morass. Come, let us forget it fora while. Although you are my prisoners, you will not find me a harshjailer."

  This was quite true, but not all his kindness could make up to us forloss of liberty. Barriero and the other three prisoners seemed quiteresigned to their fate, but Alzura was always hankering after thedelights of Lima and home, while I, too, longed very much to see myparents and friends. So we often sat for hours watching the margin ofthe lake, envying the men who went ashore. They carried on their headswhatever bundles they had, and we carefully noted the landing-place, aswell as the track across the morass which they appeared to take.

  "It seems easy enough, doesn't it?" Alzura would say; "but in the darkit would be different! Think of the quagmires, Juan! Caramba! thesergeant was right. We had better give up our dreams, Juan, eh?"

  I felt sure that this was wisely spoken, but somehow the next day weagain went to look at the opposite shore and possible freedom. Thathorrible morass had a wonderful fascination for us. We thought of itby day and dreamed of it by night; but the weeks slipped away, andstill we were prisoners on the islet.

  The new year came, and in May 1824 we were joined by another captive.This was a treat for us, as he brought news from the outside world. Hetold us there had been many disturbances, that Bolivar was nowundisputed ruler and leader of the Patriots, but that the end of thewar seemed as far off as ever.

  "If they keep us till the country is at peace," said he, "we shall dieof old age on this islet."