Межзвёздный скиталец
Chapter 4
IfIknewanythingaboutthedynamitetheybeggedmetoconfessitandsavethemallfromfurthermisery.AndIcouldtellthemonlythetruth,thatIknewofnodynamite.
Onethingthestooltoldme,beforetheguardsremovedhim,showedhowseriouswasthismatterofthedynamite.Ofcourse,Ipassedthewordalong,whichwasthatnotawheelhadturnedintheprisonallday.Thethousandsofconvict-workershadremainedlockedintheircells,andtheoutlookwasthatnotoneofthevariousprison-factorieswouldbeoperatedagainuntilafterthediscoveryofsomedynamitethatsomebodyhadhiddensomewhereintheprison.
Andevertheexaminationwenton.Ever,oneatatime,convictsweredraggedawayanddraggedorcarriedbackagain.TheyreportedthatWardenAthertonandCaptainJamie,exhaustedbytheirefforts,relievedeachothereverytwohours.Whileoneslept,theotherexamined.Andtheysleptintheirclothesintheveryroominwhichstrongmanafterstrongmanwasbeingbroken.
Andhourbyhour,inthedarkdungeons,ourmadnessoftormentgrew.Oh,trustmeasonewhoknows,hangingisaneasythingcomparedwiththewaylivemenmaybehurtinallthelifeofthemandstilllive.I,too,sufferedequallywiththemfrompainandthirst;butaddedtomysufferingwasthefactthatIremainedconscioustothesufferingsoftheothers.Ihadbeenanincorrigiblefortwoyears,andmynervesandbrainwerehardenedtosuffering.
