"
"It will make escape more difficult," I said, and then I shrugged
my shoulders; for what, pray, is the pleasure of doing an easy
thing?
"Let us sleep on it to-night," said Xodar. "A plan may come with
our awakening."
So we threw ourselves upon the hard stone floor of our prison and
slept the sleep of tired men.
CHAPTER XI
WHEN HELL BROKE LOOSE
Early the next morning Xodar and I commenced work upon our plans
for escape. First I had him sketch upon the stone floor of our
cell as accurate a map of the south polar regions as was possible
with the crude instruments at our disposal--a buckle from my harness,
and the sharp edge of the wondrous gem I had taken from Sator Throg.
From this I computed the general direction of Helium and the distance
at which it lay from the opening which led to Omean.
Then I had him draw a map of Omean, indicating plainly the position
of Shador and of the opening in the dome which led to the outer
world.
These I studied until they were indelibly imprinted in my memory.
From Xodar I learned the duties and customs of the guards who
patrolled Shador. It seemed that during the hours set aside for
sleep only one man was on duty at a time. He paced a beat that
passed around the prison, at a distance of about a hundred feet
from the building.
The pace of the sentries, Xodar said, was very slow, requiring
nearly ten minutes to make a single round.
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