Romances of Alexandre Dumas Author:Alexandre Dumas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. Wherein Tbigaud Demonstrates That If He Had Had Hercules' Chance, He Would Probably Have Accomplished Twenty-four Labors, InStead Of Twelve. It... more » was almost four in the afternoon when Michel, introduced to the guard-house of the Saint Colombin post, was able to realize all the attractions of his temporary abode. As he entered that species of dungeon, the young man's eyes, accustomed to the bright light of the outside world, could not at first make out anything; they had to become accustomed to the darkness gradually, before the prisoner succeeded in reconnoitring the apartment which had been allotted him. It was an old cellar or store-room about twelve feet square, which, whatever its original use, afforded the conditions of security and isolation which were required of it on this occasion. It was half above and half below the ground; its walls were considerably thicker and better built than is usually the case in such structures, because they served as the foundation of the house above them. The bare earth formed the floor, and the locality was so damp that said earth was almost muddy; the ceiling was made of timbers placed very close together. Ordinarily, light was supplied by a large air-hole just at the level of the ground outside; but to meet the exigencies of the occasion the hole had been closed withinby heavy planks, and without by an enormous millstone placed against the wall direct!y in front of the opening. The hole in the centre of the stone came opposite the upper part of the opening, and through that a feeble ray of light straggled in; but it was two thirds shut off by the planks on the inside, and cast a sickly light on only one small spot in the middle of the cellar. Just at that spot were the remains of a cider press (that is t...« less