"I did think of gradually buying enough cotton cloth to twist up and
make a rope of; but you see, when one has been years in captivity, one
loses a lot of one's energy. If I had been worse off, I should have
set about the thing in earnest; but you see, I was not badly treated
at all. I was always doing odd carpentering jobs for the colonel and
officers, and armourer's work at the guns. Any odd time I had over, I
did jobs for the soldiers and their wives. I got a good many little
presents, enough to keep me in decent clothes and decent food--if you
can call the food you have up there decent--and to provide me with
tobacco; so that, except that I was a prisoner, and for the thought of
my wife and you, I had really nothing to grumble about, and was indeed
better off than anyone in the fortress, except the officers. So you
see, I just existed, always making up my mind that some day I should
see a good chance of making my escape, but not really making any
preparations towards casting off my moorings.
"Now, Dick, it must be past twelve o'clock, and I am dog tired. How
far have we to ride tomorrow?"
"It is thirty-five miles from Oussoor to Kistnagherry, which will be
far enough for us to go tomorrow, and then another five-and-twenty
will take us down to Tripataly.
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