120 
The prisoners seeing no prospect of 
meliorating their condition, tured their 
attention to the making of a breacii in the 
wail ofthe prison. Every convenient mo- 
ment that could be embraced, with safety, 
was appropriated to that purpose, notonly 
during the wight, but sometimes daring the 
day. The person from whom detection 
was most to be feared, was the sentinel 
at the door, and by watching his motiens, 
through the grates, they might direct the 
one at work, insuch amanner as to avoid 
suspicion. During the night, a lamp was 
kept continually burning in the back part 
of the prison, for the benefit of the senti- 
nel; and as the prisoners had little else to 
do in the day time, except indulge them- 
‘selves in sleep aud rest, it was generally 
the case that more or less of them were 
up during the night, walking the floor for 
exercise and air. This practice was now 
regularly pursued, that the noise of their 
irons and their talk, might drown the 
noise of the hammer. The hole where they 
were at work, was at the further end of 
the prison, and about 80 feet from the 
door, So that no uncommon noise, beyond 
what was constantly made amongst so 
_j™any prisoners, was required to- deceive 
the ears of the sentinel. The wall, through 
which they expected to pass, was about 
thirteen feet thick, and was made of 
stones, bricks and mortar cemented to- 
gether; the stones were not of the hard- 
est kind, but generally such as are found 
along the sea shore, from whence they 
were brouvlt. After one night’s work was 
over, and just before morning, the pieces 
of stone, brick, and mortar, &c. which 
eame from the hole, were by meaus of 
water and lime, which was privately pro- 
cured, made into a kind of mortar and 
replaced into the hoje, the outside rub- 
bed over with a little white-wash; and 
the old hammock hung-before it as usual, 
So that the keeper when be came into the 
prison, seeing every thing in its proper 
place, his suspicion was not excited, nor 
had he any curiesity to make any particu- 
jar examinations, 
In this manner they continued to.pur- 
sue theirlabour, alternately relieving each 
other, particularly those who made their 
escape, the principal part of the rest be- 
ing averse to the attempt, conceiving it 
‘hazardous, and.that it possibly might 
involve them in a worse situation; tut 
Mr. Livpincott, Sherman. and Smith, 
were determined to persevere and take 
the risgue and blame upon themselves. 
Sometimes the sickuess and removal of 
several of the prisoners to the hospital, 
would cause a cessation of their progress 
Account of the Suferings of the Crew 
ded attempt. 
[March }, 
for a while, but it was again renewed 
upon their recovery. 
In order to be prepared to rid-them- 
selves of their irons, by the time the hole 
through the walls should be completed, or 
upon any other favourable occasion, they 
procured (by certain out-door assistance) 
several old knives, which by means of a 
file they made into saws; with these, while 
some were engaged at the walls, others 
were busy sawing upon their bolts, which 
passed through their ancle-irons, and con- 
nected them together, when they ceased 
sawing, the saw-cuts, made in the bolts, 
they filled up with wax, by which means 
they could scarcely be discovered upon in- 
spection. After several: months sawing, 
occasionally in this manner, they had 
succeeded m sawing their bolts so far off 
as to be enabled, with their hands, by 
bending them backwards and forwards, to 
break them apart; this being done they 
flied the cuts up with wax, and remained- 
in that situation, prepared to throw them 
oif whenever occasion required. 
Those who were sick at the hospital, 
having recovered, returned to their prison, 
and commenced working at the breach in 
the wall, with all possible diligence. Mr. 
Lippincott and Mr. Sherman had previ- 
ously received from a friend certain ad- 
vances in money, for which they gave him 
their bills on their friends in America. 
This money was privately smuggled inte 
their prison. To this they were ina reat - 
measure indebted for their subsequent 
success. They were now enavied to ob- 
tain many things in prison necessary for 
arrying on their operations, they procu= 
red knives, files, &c. aid a sufficiency of 
provisions by which they were enabled to 
recover strength to encounter the inten- 
Many other advantages 
they derived from this source, which it is 
not conceived necessary, here to enu~ 
merate, - 
They had now, after about seven 
months’ diligent labour, though interrup- 
ted at intervals, so far finished the hole as 
to reach the outside of the prison walls; a 
few minutes would complete it so as to 
enable them to pass out. 
About this time one of the prisoners - 
Mr. Jeremiah Powell; received a pardon 
from the King of Spain, and was dischar- 
ged from his imprisonment. 
On orabout the 7th of November, 1807, 
about 11 o’clock at night, after the usual 
hour of rest, they prepared to take French 
leave of theirold sergeant. They divided 
the number of prisoners, who. were wil- 
hing te risque the danger, into different 
companies, for better safety after they, 
. were 
