I nodded, for I thought so too, and after listening for a few moments at the door, we came to the conclusion that there was nothing to mind about the sentries, so we proceeded to make our examination of our prison in a more determined way. Several times my fingers had played about the knife I had in my pocket, and I had longed to bore holes in the cabin-door so as to watch the sentries; but of course I was checked by the knowledge that by making a hole through which I could watch them I was providing one by which they could watch us. The cabins on either side of the saloon were only so many portions of the ship boarded off, and provided with doors, so that a couple of carpenters would have had little difficulty in clearing away the partition and making one long opening, but we had no tools, and the slightest noise would have drawn attention to our acts; and these ideas would, we knew, govern our actions in all we did. Our idea was of course to get a board out between the doctor's cabin and Mr Preddle's, and if possible one at the darkest portion of the place close up to the ship's side; but examine as we would, there did not appear to be one that it would be possible to move, try how we would. "It seems to be a very hopeless case, Dale," said my companion at last with a sigh, "unless we patiently cut a way through with your knife; one cutting, while the other keeps on throwing the chips out of the window so that they cannot be seen." "But we shall make a big hole," I objected, "and the first time that Jarette comes in he will see it, and put us somewhere else." "Of course. It looks very hopeless, my lad." "You see we want holes, sir, so that we could take out one board from top to bottom quite whole, and put it back just as it was." "Yes; but how are we to do that without tools?" "I thought doctors always had a lot of tools," I said; "knives and saws and choppers for operations." "Ah!" he ejaculated. "My head has not come right yet after that injury. Why, look here, lad!" He went to a drawer fitted into a chest, and drew it open to take out a mahogany case in which, lying on blue velvet, were some of the things I had named--knives, and a couple of saws, beside other instruments whose purpose I did not grasp. "We draw the line at choppers, Dale," he said, smiling; "and I suppose I ought not to devote my choice instruments to such a duty, but I think these will do." "Splendidly!" I cried in delight, as I quite gloated over the bright steel saw. "Why, with one of those I can get a whole board out in an hour or two." "Without being heard?" "I didn't think of that," I said. "Let's see what noise it would make." "No," said Mr Frewen, quietly. "We must wait till night; and it will be a very much longer task than you think, because we shall have to work so slowly." "Wait till night!" I cried impatiently.