CHAPTER SIXTY.
A TRIANGULAR CHAMBER.
I passed the night--I should rather say the hours of rest--in my oldapartment, behind the water-butt. Whether it was night or day, I nolonger knew nor cared. On this occasion I slept well, and awokerefreshed and strengthened. My new diet, no doubt, aided in producingthis effect; for, however repugnant it might be to a dainty palate, itserved well enough for a famished stomach.
I was not loath to make my breakfast upon it, which I did the momentafter awaking; and that finished, I again crawled back through my"gallery," and entered the empty box, where I had already spent nearlythe whole of a day and night.
As I climbed into the same place, I could not help thinking how littleway I had made during my last spell of twenty hours; but some secretthought inspired me with the hope, that on this occasion I should bemore fortunate.
My intention was to continue the work which had been interrupted by thebreaking of my knife. Before that unlucky accident befell me, I hadnoticed that the board was not very firmly nailed on. It could bestarted easily enough with a proper tool; I fancied that even a goodpiece of stick would do it.
I was careful not to make any more rash experiments with the blade of myknife. Now, more than ever, did I value this precious weapon; for I wasfully sensible that my life depended on its endurance.
"If I only had a piece of some hard wood!" thought I.
I remembered that in making an entrance into the brandy-cask I had cutlarge pieces from the oaken staves. Perhaps one of these would do?
With the thought, I hurried back to the little chamber where I knew theywere lying.
After removing some pieces of cloth, I found them; and having gropedamong the cuttings, I possessed myself of a piece that appeared as if itwould suit my purpose.
Getting back to the box, I even shaped out a little crowbar, by givingthe stick a wedge end with my knife; and this thin end I inserted underthe plank, and drove it inward as far as I could, by striking it with aheavy piece of board.
It soon took hold; and then grasping it by the end, and jerking itdownwards, I had the gratification to hear the creaking of the nails asthey started outward. My fingers now took the place of the littlelever; and the board came "skreeking" out of the bottom of the box.
That contiguous to it was more easily detached; and the two left me anaperture large enough to get out the contents, whatever they might be.
They were oblong packages, shaped like pieces of cloth or linen, butthey felt lighter and more elastic than either. Better still, theycould be pulled out more easily, and without the necessity of beingtaken out of their envelopes.
I had no curiosity to know what they were, since I could tell they werenothing eatable, and perhaps I should not have known till this day, butthat in drawing out one more tightly wedged than the rest, its wrapperwas torn off; and as I passed my fingers between the folds of the softlight fabric, I guessed from their smooth silken surface that I wasdealing with the finest of _velvet_.
The box was soon emptied, and its contents carefully stowed in the mostconvenient space behind me; and then, with a joyous heart, I mountedinto the space I had cleared out. One more stage nearer to liberty!
I had been less than two hours in accomplishing this great advance.Such success was ominous of future good fortune. It was a day wellbegun; and I resolved not to throw away a minute of time, since thefates appeared so propitious.
After going down to refresh myself with a grand draught of water, Ireturned to the _ci-devant_ depository of the velvet, and there enteredupon a new series of explorations. As in the case of the cloth-box, Isaw that the end of this, which also abutted against the pianoforte,could be easily _kicked out_; and without waiting to ascertain farther,I set my heels against it, and began playing my old _tattoo_.
This time I did not finish it so soon. I was pinched for want of room,the velvet-box being much smaller than that which contained the cloth;but I effected my purpose at length, and out went the end-boards, oneafter another, dropping down into the interstices between the cases ofgoods.
Doubling myself over upon my knees, I leant forward to make a new_reconnaissance_. I expected, or rather dreaded, to find the greatwall-like piano-case shutting up the whole space I had opened.Certainly, the huge case was there--for I at once laid my hand upon it--but I could scarce restrain an exclamation of joy, when I found that itextended scarce half-way across the opening! What delighted me stillfurther was, that, in groping around its edge, I observed that oppositethe opening in that part to which the piano-case did not extend, therewas a large space entirely empty--a space almost big enough to havecontained another case of velvet!
This was a very joyful surprise, and I at once perceived the advantagethus thrown in my way. It was so much of my tunnel ready made to myhand.
On thrusting my arm outside the end of the box and upward, I becameacquainted with a new source of joy. I perceived that the empty spacecontinued for ten or twelve inches higher than the top of the box--infact, to the top of the piano-case itself. It also opened about thesame distance below where my knees rested. There I perceived that itended in a sharp angle; for I had already noticed that this littlechamber was not of a _square_ shape, as we say, but of the form of atriangle, with its apex pointing downwards. This was caused by thepeculiar construction of the piano-case, which resembled a greatparallelopipedon, with one corner sawed off. It was standing upon itslarger end, and it was where this corner should have been that the placeremained empty.
In all likelihood the triangular shape of this space rendered itinconvenient for any package which there was among the merchandise, andhence was it unoccupied.
So much the better for me, thought I, as I stretched forth my arms, andleant my body over into it, with the design of giving it a more thoroughexploration.