And we were there! "It's the only chance we've got!" agreed Fred.

"I'm for it! Lead on America!" "I believe we can pull it off!" said I.

"I'm game!" After that it seemed like waste of time to talk, yet every single detail of our plan had to be thought out beforehand and mentally rehearsed, if we hoped to have even the one slim chance we built on.
Luckily Professor Schillingschen continued drunk, which meant that he would sleep early and give Lady Waldon another chance to pay us a nocturnal visit.

One of our boys told us that according to market gossips the commandant was drinking with him and the two of them were watching a sort of prolonged native nautch they had staged in seclusion on the hill.
The next day we learned there was to be a murder trial of no less than nine men--an event likely to keep the whole garrison's attention drawn away from us.

And after the trial would come the hanging (it would have been impossible to convince any one, German or native, that the verdict and sentence were not foregone conclusions).