Our leader now stopped, and we saw a number of soldiers carefully crossing one of the tracks from the lake. As soon as they reached us we were unbound and placed in single file, while the chief of the escort said, "The journey is ended. Yonder is your home while the war lasts. It is not a lively place, but you will be out of mischief. Follow your guides, and walk carefully; you will not enjoy sinking in the quagmires." We appreciated his advice more when, about half-way across, a stout middle-aged major, missing his footing, plunged into the liquid mud. In an instant he was immersed to the chin, and but for Barriero, who grasped his head, would have disappeared altogether. As it was, he presented a miserable appearance, and showed us how terrible was the danger. Several boats were moored at the edge of the lake, and an officer directed us to get in, one by one. Barriero, Alzura, and I entered the same boat; which was fortunate, as the prisoners were divided into three groups and taken to different islets. There were six of us in our group, and twelve soldiers under the command of a non-commissioned officer. The guard occupied comfortable quarters, while three mud huts were reserved for us. The islet was quite bare of trees, and was so small that Alzura pretended he could not stretch his legs comfortably for fear of slipping into the water. The men who had rowed us over did not land, but took the boats to another islet, much larger than ours, which we guessed to be the headquarters of this novel prison. "The governor of this place is a clever warder," remarked Barriero; "there's no getting away from here." "Why not?" I asked. "The risk is too great. Just think for a minute. First one would have to swim to the shore, and then cross the morass in the dark, as it would not be possible to escape in the daytime. It's really waste of time to mount a guard over us." "We must set our wits to work," observed Alzura gravely. "No, no," I cried; "Barriero's is the only way, and a very poor one it is. The swim is a trifle, but to cross the morass--" "Why not build a bridge?" suggested Alzura. "And use our bodies as part of the foundations," said Barriero, laughing. "If you make any more idiotic remarks, Alzura, I'll throw you into the lake." "All right," said he. "You'll be sorry when Crawford and I escape and leave you behind." "I've a long time to wait," replied Barriero, "so I'll pass some of it in sleep." Alzura and I shared one of the huts between us. There was no furniture; the floor was of mud, and so were the walls, while the roof was thatched with some dried vegetable matter. The place was not exactly a palace, but it sheltered us, and for that we were thankful.