prevented circulation, that I could perceive my arms sensibly waste away. The little sleep I could have in such a situation may easily be supposed; and at length body and mind sunk under this accumulation of miserable suffering, and I fell ill of a burning fever.

quite extinct, they poured some water down his throat. The reviving draught recalled him back to consciousness. This was the crisis of his disease; and the plentiful supply of water produced almost instantly the most beneficial effect. From that moment his progress towards

was uninterrupted.

His deplorable situation became the talk of all Magdeburg, and excited so much sympathy, that the ladies joined with the officers to plead for him, and by their remonstrances shamed the governor into restoring the prisoner's bed. At the end of six months Trenck was once more in the full enjoyment of health and spirits.

"The tyrant Bork was inex-recovery orable; he wished to expedite my death, and rid himself of his troubles and his terrors. Here did I experience what was the lamentable condition of a sick prisoner, without bed, refreshment, or aid from human being. Reason, fortitude, heroism,-all the noble qualities of the mind decay when the corporal faculties are diseased; and the remembrance of my sufferings at this dreadful moment still agitates, still inflames my blood, so as almost to prevent an attempt to describe what they were.

'Yet hope had not totally forsaken me. Deliverance seemed possible, especially should peace ensue; and I sustained perhaps what no mortal man ever bore except myself, being, as I was, unprovided with pistols, or any such mode of instant despatch.

'I continued ill about two months, and was so reduced at last that I had scarcely strength to lift the water-jug to my mouth.'

One morning the jailors found Trenck senseless, and his parched tongue hanging out of his mouth. They believed that he was dead; but as there was a chance that life was not

Frederick had provided with such ingenuity for the safe keeping of the prisoner, that escape would have been impossible had the keepers strictly performed their duty. The keys of the four doors were committed to four different persons, that the captive might never be able to speak to any of the jailors alone. It was not long, however, before the whole of the keys were entrusted first to one and then to another, so that Trenck had opportunities to confer in succession with the officers upon guard. He received remittances from his sister and the Countess Bestucheff, and he made such a liberal use of them among the officers, that the rigour of his captivity was much alleviated. He had a supply of light, books, and

cold meat.

The guards were bribed with money to drink, and occasionally some of the keepers would even spend half the night in his company.

rampart, found it to be thirtyseven feet. Into this it was possible I might by mining penetrate. The difficulty of the enterprise was lessened by the nature of the ground-a fine white sand. Could I reach the gallery, my freedom was certain. I had been informed how many steps, to the right or left, must be taken to find the door that led to the second rampart, and on the day when I should be ready for flight, the officer was secretly to leave this door open. I had light, and mining tools, and I was further to rely on money and my own discretion.

'Lieutenant Sonntag got false handcuffs made for me, that were so wide I could easily draw my hands out. The lieutenants only examined my irons, and the new handcuffs were made perfectly similar to the old. The remainder of my chains I could disencumber myself of at pleasure. When I exercised myself I held them in my hand, that the sentinels might be deceived by their clanking. The neck-iron was the only one I could not remove; it was too strongly riveted. I filed through the upper link of the pendant chain, by which means I could take it off, and this I concealed with bread. So could I disencumber myself of most of my fetters, and sleep at ease. Liberty still, however, was most desirable; but, alas! not one of the three lieutenants had the-a capital error, certainly, in so courage of a Schell.

'The sentinels were doubled, therefore my escape through my hole, which had been two years dug, could not, unperceived by them, be effected; still less could I in the face of the guard clamber the twelve feet high palisades. The following labour, therefore, though Herculean, was undertaken :

'Lieutenant Sonntag, measuring the interval between the hole I had dug and the entrance in the gallery in the principal

I

'I began and continued this labour about six months. have already noticed the difficulty of scraping out the earth with my hands. The noise of instruments would have been heard by the sentinels. I had scarcely mined beyond my dungeon wall before I discovered the foundation of the rampart was not more than a foot deep,

important a fortress. My labour became the lighter, as I could remove the foundation stones of my dungeon, and was not obliged to mine so deep.

'My work at first proceeded so rapidly, that while I had room to throw back my sand, I was able in one night to gain three feet; but ere I had proceeded ten feet I discovered all my difficulties. Before I could continue my work, I was obliged to make room for myself by emptying the sand out of my hole

'The labour toward the con

upon the floor of the prison, and this itself was an employ-clusion became so intolerable ment of some hours. The sand as to incite despondency. I was obliged to be thrown out frequently sat contemplating the by the hand, and after it thus heaps of sand, during a molay heaped in my prison, must mentary respite from work; and again be returned into the hole; thinking it impossible I could and I calculated that after I have strength or time again to had proceeded twenty feet, I replace all things as they were, was obliged to creep under resolved patiently to wait the ground in my hole, from 1500 consequence, and leave everyto 2000 fathoms, within twenty- thing in its present disorder. four hours, in the removal and No; I can assure the reader, replacing of the sand. This that to effect concealment, I labour ended, care was to be have scarcely had time in taken that in none of the crevices twenty-four hours to sit down of the floor there might be any and eat a morsel of bread. Reappearance of this fine white collecting, however, the efforts sand. The flooring was next and all the progress I had made, to be exactly replaced, and my hope would again revive, and exchains to be resumed. So hausted strength return. Again severe was the fatigue of one would I begin my labours, that day in this mode, that I was I might preserve my secret and always obliged to rest the three my expectations: yet has it frefollowing. To reduce my labour quently happened, that my visias much as possible, I was con- tors have entered a few minutes strained to make the passage so after I had reinstated everysmall that my body only had thing in its place. space to pass, and I had not room to draw back my arm to my head. The work, too, must all be done naked, otherwise the dirtiness of my shirt must have been remarked; the sand was wet. At length the expedient of sandbags occurred to me, by which it might be removed out and in more expeditiously. I obtained linen from the officers, and I took my sheets and the ticking that enclosed my straw, and cut them up for sandbags, taking care to lie down on my bed, as if ill, when Buckhausen paid his visit.

'When my work was within six or seven feet of being accomplished, a new misfortune happened, that at once frustrated all further attempts. I worked, as I have said, under the foundation of the rampart near where the sentinels stood. I could disencumber myself of my fetters, except my neck collar and its pendant chain. This, as I worked, though it was fastened, got loose, and the clanking was heard by one of the sentinels about fifteen feet from my dungeon. The officer was called; they laid their ears to the

'No man was more busy on this occasion than the brutal and stupid Bruckhausen, who put many interrogatories, to which I made no reply, except assuring him that I should have next the major; he came, and completed my work some days heard me likewise; accordingly sooner, had it not been his good