Every day there came something to build up the hopes that exchange was near at hand--every day brought something to extinguish the hopes of the preceding one.

We took these varying phases according to our several temperaments.

The sanguine built themselves up on the encouraging reports; the desponding sank down and died under the discouraging ones.
Escape was a perpetual allurement.

To the actively inclined among us it seemed always possible, and daring, busy brains were indefatigable in concocting schemes for it.

The only bit of Rebel brain work that I ever saw for which I did not feel contempt was the perfect precautions taken to prevent our escape.