Межзвёздный скиталец
Chapter 4
Itisafrightfulthingtoseeastrongmanbroken.Aboutme,attheonetime,werefortystrongmenbeingbroken.Everthecryforwaterwentup,andtheplacebecamelunaticwiththecrying,sobbing,babblingandravingofmenindelirium.
Don’tyousee?Ourtruth,theverytruthwetold,wasourdamnation.Whenfortymentoldthesamethingswithsuchunanimity,WardenAthertonandCaptainJamiecouldonlyconcludethatthetestimonywasamemorizedliewhicheachofthefortyrattledoffparrot-like.
Fromthestandpointoftheauthorities,theirsituationwasasdesperateasours.AsIlearnedafterward,theBoardofPrisonDirectorshadbeensummonedbytelegraph,andtwocompaniesofstatemilitiawerebeingrushedtotheprison.
Itwaswinterweather,andthefrostissometimesshrewdeveninaCaliforniawinter.Wehadnoblanketsinthedungeons.Pleaseknowthatitisverycoldtostretchbruisedhumanfleshonfrostystone.Intheendtheydidgiveuswater.Jeeringandcursingus,theguardsraninthefire-hosesandplayedthefiercestreamsonus,dungeonbydungeon,hourafterhour,untilourbruisedfleshwasbatteredallanewbytheviolencewithwhichthewatersmoteus,untilwestoodknee-deepinthewaterwhichwehadravedforandforwhichnowweravedtocease.
Ishallskiptherestofwhathappenedinthedungeons.
