. Famous adventures and prison escapes of the civil war . ourse upward, andto relieve his cramped limbs he turned upon his strength was nearly gone; the feeble stream of airwhich his comrade was trying, with all his might, tosend to him from a distance of fifty-three feet couldno longer reach him through the deadly stench. Hissenses reeled; he had not breath or strength enoughto move backward through his narrow grave. In theagony of suffocation he dropped the dull chisel andbeat his two fists against the roof of his grave with themight of despair — when, blessed boon! the crust gavewa
. Famous adventures and prison escapes of the civil war . ourse upward, andto relieve his cramped limbs he turned upon his strength was nearly gone; the feeble stream of airwhich his comrade was trying, with all his might, tosend to him from a distance of fifty-three feet couldno longer reach him through the deadly stench. Hissenses reeled; he had not breath or strength enoughto move backward through his narrow grave. In theagony of suffocation he dropped the dull chisel andbeat his two fists against the roof of his grave with themight of despair — when, blessed boon! the crust gaveway and the loosened earth showered upon his drippingface purple with agony; his famished eye caught sight COLONEL KOSES TUNNEL AT LIBBY PRISON 223 of a radiant star in the blue vault above him; a floodof light and a volume of cool, delicious air poured overhim. At that very instant the sentinels cry rang outlike a prophecy — Half-past one, and alls well! Recovering quickly under the inspiring aii, hedragged his body out of the hole and made a careful. LIBERT y I survey of the yard in which he found himself. He wasunder a shed, with a board fence between him and theeast-side sentinels, and the gable end of Libby loomedgrimly against the blue sky. He found the wagon-wayunder the south-side building closed from the street bya gate fastened by a swinging bar, which, after a goodmany efforts, he succeeded in opening. This was theonly exit to the street. As soon as the nearestsentinels back was turned he stepped out and walkedquickly to the east. At the first corner he turnednorth, carefully avoiding the sentinels in front of thePemberton Buildings (another military prison north- 224 ADVENTUKES AND ESCAPES IN THE CIVIL WAR east of Libby), and at the corner above this he wentwestward, then south to the edge of the canal, andthus, by cautious moving, made a minute examinationof Libby from all sides. Having satisfied his desires, he retraced his steps tothe yard. He hunted up an old
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