Identifier: commodorebarneys00otis (find matches)
Title: Commodore Barney's young spies : a boy's story of the burning of the city of Washington
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Otis, James, 1848-1912
Subjects: Authors, American -- Maine
Publisher: New York : A.L. Burt Co.
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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th-out suspecting that he carried anything. He stepped behind the bush to unwind it, andwhile he was thus engaged I distinctly saw theform of a man emerge from the scuttle-hatchon the roof of the jail. Theyre coming out! I whispered excitedly,and then glanced hurriedly around to learnwhere the sentries were stationed. To my surprise I could not see a single person,save the soldier who appeared at the corner oncein every two or three minutes as he paced his beatat the end of the building. It seemed extra-ordinary that there should be no others in sight;but such was the fact, and surely we had noreason to complain because the enemy was care-less. A few hours later I understood the reason forthis seeming neglect of the prisoners. My comrades were ready for the work on handimmediately I gave the alarm, and swiftly thethree of us crossed over, I wondering if it wouldbe possible for us to throw the rope to the roofwhere the sailors could catch it. As we neared the building I saw that Darius
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As soon as the line was made fast a man slipped down quicklyfollowed by another, Page 335. —Commodore Barneys Young Spies. THE ESCAPE. 335 had already made arrangements for getting oneend of the rope into his possession. A bit of cloth was swinging to and fro at thecorner of the jail when I arrived, and taking holdof it curiously, I saw that it was made fast to astring formed of two or three strands of yarn. The old sailor had unraveled their socks inorder to procure that which would enable them tohaul up the rope. There was no need of word or signal. CaptainHanaford made fast one end of the half-inchmanilla, gave the yarn-twine a jerk in token thatall was ready, and then we payed out on the ropeto make certain it went up without kinks. In less than three minutes a man slipped downthe line at a rate of speed that must have heatedhis hands in great shape, and he was hardlymore than on the ground before the second pris-oner followed. We had effected the escape, and it now re-mained to

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