“Yes; whilst journeying in the city of Damascus, the governor, whose name was Avetas resolved to arrest him and accordingly placed sentries at all the gates.  Paul, however was permitted to pass through a house, the windows of which overhung the walls of the town, whence, as you say, he was let down in a basket, and escaped."[J]

“I trust your reverence will be in much the same position as the apostle, by-and-by—­only you will have to dispense with the basket,” said Willis.

“I have no wish to remain in bondage longer than is absolutely necessary,” said the minister; “but there still seem difficulties in the way.”

“Yes,” said Willis, plying the file with redoubled energy, “this iron gives me more bother than I anticipated; but it is the nature of iron to be hard; however, it will not be long before we are all out of bondage, as your reverence calls it.”

“May not the warder discover our escape, and raise an alarm in time to retake us?” inquired the missionary.

“No, I think not,” replied the captain; “thanks to our habit of sleeping with our faces to the wall, he will be deceived by the dummies we have placed in the beds, for he always approaches on tip-toe not to awake us.”

“That may be for the first round; but the second will assuredly disclose our absence.”

“Very likely,” remarked Willis; “he will then go right up to the beds, and shake the dummies by the shoulders, and say, Does your honor not know that it is ten o’clock, and that your breakfast is cooling?  The dummies will, of course, not condescend to reply, and then—­but what matters?  By that time we shall have shaken out our top-sail, and pursuit will be out of the question.  I should like to see the craft that will overtake us when once we are a couple of miles ahead.”

“Poor man!” said the missionary, sighing; “our escape may, perhaps, cost him his place.”

“No fear of that,” said Willis; “perhaps, at first, he will make an attempt to tear his hair, but, as he wears a wig, that will not do much mischief.”

“I shall, however, leave my purse on the table,” said the missionary; “as it is tolerably well filled, that may afford the poor fellow some consolation.”

“And I shall do the same,” said the captain.

“If that does not console him for being deprived of the pleasure of our society, I do not know what will,” observed Willis.

“It is now two o’clock,” said the captain, feeling his watch, “and the warder goes his first rounds at three; we have therefore just one hour for our preparations.”

“I have severed one bar,” said Willis, “and the other is nearly through at one end, so keep your minds perfectly at ease.”

“Your patience and equanimity, Willis, does you infinite credit,” said the missionary.  “Minister of the Gospel though I be, I fear that I do not possess these qualities to the same extent, for, to confess the truth, I feel an inward yearning to be free, and yet am restless and anxious.”