his word. Wintle (the gaoler) was reclining on a sofa in his quarters, indulging after a worrying forenoon's work, in a forty-wink nap, when he was startled by a distant sound which astonished him. It was an outcry such as he never before heard through an eventful experience in many lands. It was a discordant combination of bellowing and crowing, as if blown by some supernatural power through a Titanic trombone. " G o o d Heavens," cried he to his wife (the matron), " W h a t on earth can this be? T h e prisoners have all gone mad, or there is something extraordinary up inside." T h e guards were stationed next door to him, and turning them out, Wintle jumped upon a ladder, and obtained a view of the North side of the prison, when the first object that met his view was Harris with his head through the watch-tower observatory, his hands improvised into a speaking trumpet, and the "look out" howling and roaring—not only black in the face, but as if he would blow himself to atoms in one of his gusts of vociferation. Wintle at once surmised what was wrong, and with a strapping young Scotchman named M'Tavish (the prison clerk), backed up by the corporal's guard with fixed bayonets, he hastened to the scene of action. In his precipitation he took the wrong road, for, instead of hastening round outside to the stockade end, he rushed through the main building into the yard, and on reaching the door in the end wall, found it fastened on the wrong side. H e knocked and kicked and hammered for ingress, but was answered only by the hubbub of the conflict a few yards off; he sent for an axe to break open the door, but before it could be fetched, the door opened, in consequence of a Madras man, named Mingo, one of the prisoners, having withdrawn the bolt. Thompson, the ringleader, after forcing the outer gate, found himself confronted by the Warder (Tender) and the soldier-sentry, who, on hearing the scuffling, ran round. H e swore at them, and threatened all sorts of vengeance, but the taste of cold steel indicated by the point of the soldier's glittering bayonet scared him from further advance. O n turning round to take counsel with some of his co-ruffians, the gaoler met him face to face, and throwing up his hands Thompson exclaimed in a loud despairing voice " 'Tis no go, boys," and then surrendered unconditionally. All the other malcontents did likewise, and they were marched off to their cells and locked in. T h e next day the Visiting Magistrate (Mr. Sturt) and Captain Dana, J.P, conducted a magisterial inquiry with the result that—Henry Thompson, Samuel Johnstone and William M ' K a y were sentenced each to three weeks' solitary confinement; Luke Quinn, and George Salmon, fourteen days ; William Hatfield, T h o m a s Lewis, and William Davies, seven days;—bread and water to be the dietary of all of them. Such a punishment was altogether insufficient for three or four of the villains, w h o should have been severelyflogged,and it is difficult to account for the leniency, especially as Dana was not a m a n ever disposed much on the side of mercy; and Sturt's good judgment was seldom at fault. O n this occasion it erred egregiously. " PIPING " TO LIBERTY.
The most extraordinary escape, perhaps, ever recorded in the annals of this or any other country occurred on the n t h October, 1851. T w o m e n named John Smith and Henry Staunton were in gaol awaiting trial for robberies. Acting in concert, they watched an opportunity, and at 1.30 p.m. slipped away separately to an out-house then situated near the Western end of the prison yard. A n iron pipe, 30 feet long, and 2 feet 1 inch in diameter, formed a communication from the closet with a cess-pool sunk 30 feet outside the yard wall, and within the stone-breaking enclosure already described, but in a portion now separated, where the broken metal used to be left until carted away. T h e reservoir happened to be uncovered, as the vidangeur had been at work there only the night before. Of its empty state the two prisoners must have been aware, otherwise they would never have concocted the plan which they successfully carried through. Descending to the closet, they groped out the pipe, into which they penetrated, Smith leading. H o w they advanced through this disgusting tunnel it is difficult to say. They had the advantage of a continuous incline, and, there being little obstacle, on they went. Possibly one m a n could not have done it through the insufficiency of motive power, but in this case the hindward propelled the foremost, holding on to him all the time ; and at length, reaching the reservoir, Smith got into it, Staunton remaining perdu until he saw how it fared with his leader. All the broken metal had been carted away by the corporation drays, and the enclosure was quite empty. T h e gate was left carelessly open, as it was supposed there was nothing to shut in, and so far the odds were immensely in favour of the
