fortune to fall sick, and that this only had been the cause of my failure. The man was absolutely terrified with apprehension; he began to fear me, grew niore polite, and even supposed nothing was impossible to me. 'It was too late to remove the sand; therefore the lieutenant and guard continued with me, so that this night at least I did not want company. When the morning came, the hole was first filled up, and the planking renewed. The tyrant Bork was ill, and could not come, otherwise my treatment would have been still more lamentable. The smiths had ended before the evening, and the irons were heavier than ever. The foot chains, instead of being fastened as before, were screwed and riveted; all else remained as formerly. They were employed on the flooring till the next day, so that I could not sleep; and at last I sank down with weari ness. 'The greatest of my misfortunes was, they again deprived me of my bed, because I had cut it up for sand-bags. Before the doors were barred, Bruckhausen and another major examined my body very narrowly. They often had asked me where I concealed all my implements. My answer was, "Gentlemen, Beelzebub is my best and most intimate friend; he brings me everything I want, supplies me with light; we play whole nights at piquet, and guard me as you please, he will finally deliver me out of your power." Soon after this last futile attempt to escape, a fearful addition was made to the wretched prisoner's sufferings. An order arrived that his sleep should be broken every quarter of an hour, by the sentinels calling to him. This was directly carried into effect, and was persisted in for four years. This was, indeed, a punishment intolerable to nature; yet custom at length taught him to answer in his sleep. One benefit, however, he managed to derive from it; by the advice of one of the | friendly officers, he refused to answer the sentinel unless his bed was restored, and his firmness ultimately compelled his persecutors to comply with his demand. At this time Bork, the deputy-governor, became insane, and was replaced by LieutenantColonel Reichmann, who was of a kind and benevolent disposition. He could not strike off Trenck's fetters, or alter the general regulations, but he did all that lay in his power to lighten the woes of his prisoner. By his direction the doors were occasionally left open to admit light and air, and at length were suffered to remain so throughout the day. The light that entered Trenck's dungeon enabled him to beguile many tedious hours. To amuse himself, he began to carve with a nail a variety of figures and satirical verses upon the pewter cups out of which he drank. His work was greatly admired; every one wished to possess a specimen; fresh cups were constantly sent to him, and practice at length gave him such perfect mastery in his art, that his productions were sold at a high price, and even admitted into museums. Undiscouraged by his repeated disappointments, Trenck renewed his exertions to mine his way out. He cut through his chains and the flooring as he had before done, taking care when he left off to fill up every cranny so carefully that no trace of his work was visible. To get rid of the sand he had recourse to an ingenious strategem. After having thrown out a large quantity, he replaced the flooring, and began with much noise to excavate another hole near the door. The noise drew, as he expected, the jailors into the dungeon; they laughed at his folly in excavating at a spot where escape was impossible, ordered the sand to be wheeled away, and punished him by the deprivation of his bed and candle for a fortnight. When the vigilance of his keepers had somewhat abated, he proceeded with his mining. This time he reverted to his original plan of making an outlet between the foundation and the palisades. When he had burrowed as far as the dry ditch, he broke a hole through, and threw out one of his slippers under the palisade, that he might be supposed to have lost it in climbing over. He then returned towards his prison, and concealed himself in a hole which he had made under the floor, stopping up the passage between the two holes that he might not be seen. In the morning the slipper was found; it was concluded he had got off, the alarm guns were fired, cavalry were sent to scour the country, and all the garrison thronged to look at the hole whence Trenck had emerged. He, meanwhile, could hear throughout the day the searches and remarks that were made by his keepers. Yet a few hours more, and he would be able to quit his retreat and scale the palisades, as it was not probable that sentinels would be posted now that he was imagined to be gone. These hopes, however, were speedily blighted. An ensign, on looking at the hole, thought it far too small for its purpose, and tried himself to enter; but finding he was unable to do so, concluded that the prisoner had not effected his escape, but was in hiding. Obtaining a light, he peeped into the aperture. The stifling heat of the spot where he was coiled up, had compelled Trenck to remove the sand between the holes, and part of his dress was consequently discerned by the sharp-sighted officer. The poor captive was drawn from his concealment amidst the laughter of the bystanders, and reinstated in his dungeon; but no additional severity was inflicted upon him. For the clemency which he experienced, Trenck was indebted to the benevolence of the hereditary prince, who held the government of Magdeburg. The kindness of the prince did not stop here; hearing the captive was ill, he sent him his own physician, and meat from his table, ordered the collar to be removed from his neck, and forbade the soldiers to wake him at night. In a visit which he made to Trenck, he promised to interest himself in his behalf, encouraged him to hope for better days, and assured him that his situation should be ameliorated. The window was then unclosed, finer linen was furnished for the prisoner's shirts, and he was supplied with books, paper, and the public journals. Filled with gratitude for these unwonted acts of kindness, Trenck pledged his honour that he would make no attempt to escape as long as his princely benefactor held the government of Magdeburg. When, however, the prince succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse, he was once more at liberty to renew his efforts for freedom. Henevertheless remained quiet for some time. When, however, the signing of the treaty between Prussia and Russia indicated that in all probability the war with Austria would soon come to a termination, he thought it prudent to be prepared for flight, in case his freedom should not be insisted upon by the Austrian cabinet. I therefore,' he says, 'opened my old hole, and my friends assisted me with all their power. My money melted away, but they provided me with tools, gunpowder, and a good sword. I had remained so long quiet that my flooring was no more examined. For my further security, an old lieutenant had with my money purchased a house in the suburbs, where I might lie concealed. At Gummern, in Saxony, a friend with two good horses was to wait a whole year, to ride on the glacis of Klosterbergen, on the 1st and 15th of each month, and at a given signal haste to my assistance. 'My passage was to be ready in case of emergency; I therefore removed the upper planking, broke up the two under ends, cut the boards into chips, and burnt them in my stove. By this I obtained so much additional aid as to proceed half way with my mine. Linen again was brought me, sandbags made; and thus I successfully proceeded to all but the last operation. Everything was afterwards so well closed and concealed, that I had nothing to fear from the narrow. est inspection, sufficient of the under flooring being left to support the upper; and it appeared doubly nailed as before, to avoid suspicion, especially as the new-come garrison could not know what was the original length of the planks. This severe labour reduced me again to a very feeble state of body; and by the return of the regulars, I in a moment was deprived of all my friends. I made a more desperate effort, drew my body into a ball, and turned round; I now faced the stone, which was as wide as the whole passage; but there being an opening at the top, I respired fresher air. My next labour was to root away the sand under the stone, and let it sink, so that I might creep over, and by this means at length I once more happily arrived in my dungeon. 'I must in this place relate a dreadful accident, which I cannot even now remember without shuddering, and the terror of which has often haunted my very dreams. While mining under the foundation of the rampart, just as I was going to carry out the sand-bag, I struck my foot against a stone in the wall above, which fell down and "The morning was advanced; closed up the passage. What I sat myself down, so exhausted, was my horror to find myself that I supposed it was impossible thus buried alive! After a I had time or strength to cover short time for reflection, I be-up and conceal my hole. After gan to work the sand away half an hour's rest, however, from the side, that I might ob- my fortitude returned; again I tain room to turn round. By went to work, and had scarcely good fortune there were some ended before the resounding feet of empty space, into which locks and bolts told the apI threw the sand as I worked proach of my visitors. They it away; but the small quantity found me pale as death; I of air soon made it so foul that complained of the headache, a thousand times I wished my- and continued some days so self dead, and made several much affected by the fatigue I attempts to strangle myself. had sustained, that I began to Further labour began to seem imagine my lungs were impaired. impossible. Thirst almost de- After a time health and strength prived me of my senses, but as returned; but perhaps of all often as I put my mouth to the my nights of horror this was sand I inhaled fresh air. My the most horrible. I long resufferings were incredible, and peatedly dreamed I was buried I imagine I passed full eight in the centre of the earth, and hours in this distraction of now, though three-and-twenty horror. Of all dreadful deaths, years have elapsed, my sleep is surely such a death as this is still haunted by this vision. the most dreadful. My spirits fainted; again I somewhat recovered, again I began to labour; but the earth was as high as my chin, and I had no more space into which I might throw the sand, that I might turn round. 'After this accident, whenever I worked in my cavity I hung a knife round my neck, that, in case I should be again so enclosed, I might shorten my raiseries. Over the stone that had fallen, several others hung tottering, under which I was several hundred times obliged to creep. Meantime I was nearly betrayed by a most singular circumstance. I had two years before so tamed a mouse that it would play round me and eat from my mouth. In this small animal I discovered proofs of intelligence too great to easily gain belief; were I to write them, priests would rail, monks grumble, and such philosophers as suppose man alone endowed with the power of thought, allowing nothing but what they call instinct to animals, would proclaim me a fabulous writer, and my opinions heterodox to what they suppose sound philosophy. This intelligent mouse had nearly been my ruin. I had diverted myself with it during the night; it had been nibbling at my door, and capering on a trencher. The sentinels happened to hear our amusement, and called the officers; they heard also, and added all was not right in my dungeon. At day-break my doors resounded; the townmajor, a smith, and mason entered; strict search was begun; flooring, walls, chains, and my own person were all scrutinized, but in vain. They asked what was the noise they had heard. I mentioned the mouse, whistled, and it came and jumped upon my shoulder. Orders were given that I should be deprived of its society; I earnestly entreated they would at least spare its life. The officer on guard gave me his word of honour he would present it to a lady, who would treat it with the utmost tenderness. The lady put the poor little thing in a cage; but it pined, refused all sustenance, and died.' By The peace of Hubertsburg put an end to the war between Austria and Prussia. In one respect it was prejudicial to Trenck; the militia were relieved from duty at Magdeburg, and the keeping of the fortress was committed to the regular troops. He was thus deprived of many who had become his warm friends, and they were not easily to be replaced. these new-comers he was more strictly watched, and he ceased to obtain the comforts which he had recently enjoyed; ammunition-bread was again his sole fare. To make his condition more painful, he learned that, instead of his release being insisted on, his name had scarcely been mentioned during the negotiation for peace. At this moment fortune seemed inclined to give him yet another chance of getting free. There was in the garrison a lieutenant of the regular forces, who had run so deeply into debt that he was preparing to desert. This man having manifested pity for Trenck, and a desire to be serviceable, the captive made him a present of a hundred ducats. This led to the forming of a plan for the liberation of the captive. It was arranged that the lieutenant should procure |