Long before this all the occupants of the corridor had been lending a very attentive ear to what was going on. The suggestion was received with roars of laughter. The Major, however, preferred to act upon the workmen"s advice. A sledge hammer was sent for.
While they were awaiting its arrival something rather curious happened--curious, that is, viewed in the light of what had gone before. Warder Slater formed one of the party. More for the sake of something to do than anything else, he put his key into the lock of the cell which was just in front of him. Giving it a gentle twist, to his amazement it turned with the greatest ease, and the door was open.
"Here"s a go!" he exclaimed. "Blest if this door ain"t come open."
There was a yell of jubilation all along the corridor. The prisoners seemed to be amused. The official party kept silence. Possibly their feelings were too deep for words.
"Since we"ve got this one open," said Warder Slater, "suppose we try another?"
He tried another, the next; the same result followed--the door was opened with the greatest of ease.
"What"s the meaning of this?" spluttered the Major. "Who"s been playing this tomfoolery? I don"t believe there"s anything the matter with a lock in the place."
There did not seem to be, just then. For when the officers tried again they found no difficulty in unlocking the doors, and setting the prisoners free.
CHAPTER II.
THE CHAPLAIN AS AN AUTHORITY ON WITCHCRAFT.
Major Hardinge remained in the jail that night. He stayed in the governor"s house as Mr. Paley"s guest. He expressed himself very strongly about the events of the day.
"I"ll see the thing through if it takes me a week. The whole affair is incredible to me. It strikes me, Paley, that they"ve been making a fool of you."
The governor combed his hair with his fingers. His official manner had temporarily gone. He seemed depressed.
"I a.s.sure you the doors were locked."
"Of course the doors were locked, and they used the wrong keys to open them! It was a got-up thing."
"Not by the officers."
"By whom then? I don"t see how the prisoners could have lent a hand."
"I know the officers, and I will answer for them, every man. As for the wrong keys being used, I know the keys as well as any one. I tried them, and not a lock would yield to me."
"But they did yield. What explanation have you to give of that?"
"I wish I could explain." And again the governor combed his hair.
"I"ll have an explanation to-morrow!--you see if I don"t!" But the Major never did.
On the morrow, punctually at 6 a.m., an imposing procession started to unlock. There were the inspector, governor, chief warder, second warder, and the warder who carried the keys.
"I don"t think we shall have much difficulty in getting the men out of their cells this time," remarked the Major. They did not. "Good--good G.o.d!" he spluttered, when they reached the corridor; "what--what on earth"s the meaning of this?" He had predicted rightly. They would have no difficulty in getting the men out of their cells: they were out already--men, and bedding, and planks, and all. There was a man fast asleep in bed in front of each cell-door.
"I thought I had given instructions that a special watch was to be kept all night," the Major roared.
"So there has been," answered the chief warder, whose head and face and neck were purple. "Warder Slater here has only just gone off duty.
Now then, Slater, what"s the meaning of this?"
"I don"t know," protested Slater, whose mountain of flesh seemed quivering like jelly. "It"s not a minute ago since I went to get my keys, and they was all inside their cells when I went down."
"Who let them out, then?"
The Major glared at him, incredulity in every line of his countenance.
"I don"t know. I"ll swear it wasn"t me!"
"I suppose they let themselves out, then. You men!"
Although this short dialogue had been conducted by no means _sotto-voce_, the noise did not seem to have had the slightest effect in rousing the prisoners out of slumber. Even when the Major called to them they gave no sign.
"You men!" he shouted again; "it"s no good shamming Abraham with me!"
He stooped to shake the man who was lying on the plank at his feet.
"Good--good G.o.d! The--the--man"s not dead?"
"Dead!" cried the governor, kneeling by the Major"s side upon the stones.
The sleeper was very still. He was a man of some forty years of age, with nut-brown tangled hair and beard. If not a short-sentence man he was still in the early stages of his term--for he lay on the bare boards of the plank with the rug, blanket, and sheet wrapped closely round him, so that they might take, as far as possible, the place of the coir mattress, which was not there. The bed was not a bed of comfort, yet his sleep was sound--strangely sound. If he breathed at all, it was so lightly as to be inaudible. On his face was that dazed, strained expression which we sometimes see on the faces of those who, without a moment"s warning, have been suddenly visited by death.
"I don"t think he"s dead," the governor said. "He seems to be in some sort of trance. What"s the man"s name?"
""Itchc.o.c.k. He"s one of the "oppickers. He"s got a month."
It was Warder Slater who gave the information. The governor took the man by the shoulder, and tried to rouse him out of sleep.
"Hitchc.o.c.k! Hitchc.o.c.k! Come, wake up, my man! It"s all right; he"s coming to--he"s waking up."
He did wake up, and that so suddenly as to take the party by surprise.
He sprang upright on the plank, nothing on but an attenuated prison shirt, and glared at the officials with looks of unmistakable surprise.
"Holloa! What"s up! What"s the meaning of this?"
Major Hardinge replied, suspicion peeping from his eyes:
"That is what we want to know, and what we intend to know--what does it mean? Why aren"t you in your cell?"
The man seemed for the first time to perceive where he was.
"Strike me lucky, if I ain"t outside! Somebody must have took me out when I was asleep." Then, realising in whose presence he was--"I beg your pardon, sir, but someone"s took me out."
"The one who took you out took all the others too."
The Major gave a side glance at Warder Slater. That intelligent officer seemed to be suffering agonies. The prisoner glanced along the corridor. "If all the blessed lot of "em ain"t out too!"
They were not only all out, but they were all in the same curiously trance-like sleep. Each man had to be separately roused, and each woke with the same startling, sudden bound. No one seemed more surprised to find themselves where they were than the men themselves. And this was not the case in one ward only but in all the wards in the prison. No wonder the officials felt bewildered by the time they had gone the round.