He even considered the possibility of inducing some one to open the door and then shooting him down and openly branding him as a traitor to his master. But such a scheme demanded that he be alone with his accomplice when the trick was played. The arrival of an Indian on the scene would spoil the game. “There would sure be some slip up,” he told himself. “—— it! There’s but one way left. I must free him myself, shoot him in his tracks and let McGillivray suspect the whole nation. No one being guilty there will be no one to confess. But what if I didn’t hit him? What if he escaped or he killed me. Huh! There is one way that’s sure. Kill him inside the cabin, then drag him out and claim I jumped him outside.” But how to make it appear logical that Sevier had escaped without help? There were two points of egress possible, providing a man had the proper tools and plenty of time—the door and window. To cut through the door from the outside, so as to make it appear the job had been done from the inside, would require the presence of a knife in the cabin. There would be no time to hack a hole through the stout door after shooting the prisoner through the window; and Sevier would be certain to investigate any assault made on the door while he lived. The same objections were encountered in considering the window. “It’s got to be done mighty quick,” summed up Polcher. “The door’s got to be thrown open the minute he’s potted through the bars. He’s got to be dragged outside before the sound of a shot disturbs any one.” For the rest of the day he worked on the idea and at last came to a solution, which, after testing it from all angles, gave every promise of success because of its simplicity and directness. At no time would it oust him from control of the situation, and he whittled it down to so fine a point that only one shot would be necessary. Shortly before sunset he visited the slave-quarters and, selecting a dull-witted man, directed him to take a platter of food and carry it to the prisoner after the slaves had had their supper. This would mean an hour after dusk. In concluding his directions he touched the fellow’s belt and said— “And have a knife in there so he won’t try to reach through the window and catch you as you pass the pan through the hole.” The slave’s eyes grew round with fear. He had no heart for any errand that suggested danger. And it was whispered among the slaves that even the emperor was afraid of this white man. Returning to Sevier’s cabin, he dismissed all the guard but one. To him he said: “When the slave comes with the food you may go. He will stay until relieved.” The Indian grunted and Polcher hurried to his own cabin and secured his rifle and a brace of pistols.