They thrust him in, slammed the door, and in a loud voice the Captain said:
"Keep him there for thirty days unless he tells."
He was left in the agony of the sweat-box for thirty-three hours and taken out. His limbs were swollen, and when he attempted to walk he tottered and fell.
The guard jerked him to his feet, and the Captain said:
"I'm afraid we've taken him out too soon, but if he don't tell he can go back and finish the month out."
The poor old negro dropped in a faint, and they carried him back to his cell.
Phil determined to spare no means, fair or foul, to secure Ben's release from the clutches of these devils. He had as yet been unable to locate his place of confinement.
He continued his ruse of friendly curiosity, kept in touch with the Captain, and the Captain in touch with his pocket-book.
Summoned to witness another interesting ceremony, he hurried to the fort.
The officer winked at him confidentially, and took him out to a row of dungeons built of logs and ceiled inside with heavy boards. A single pane of glass about eight inches square admitted light ten feet from the ground.
There was a commotion inside, curses, groans and cries for mercy mingling in rapid succession.
"What is it?" asked Phil.
"Hell's goin' on in there!" laughed the officer.
"Evidently."
A heavy crash, as though a ton-weight had struck the floor, and then all was still.
