They waited in the semi-darkness with flickering candles pooling light onto the rough walls and ceiling. For the fifth time, Jack checked his revolver and the bayonet he carried on his belt. He crouched behind Williams, who had cautiously scraped away the earth toward the mutineer"s tunnel. "How far apart are we?" Jack asked.
"About a spade"s length," Williams whispered. "I can break through in a minute."
Jack wondered what was beyond the screen of soil; how many mutineers there were, what they were planning and if they suspected that the British knew about them. He felt the cold sweat soaking through his shirt when he thought of the thousands of tonnes of soil and rock above his head. He didn"t want to die down here, so far from the sun and the rain and the wind.
"Ready lads?" He looke
