At first he called piteously under the door for water, but afterwards he would beg no more, knowing beforehand what the answer would be.

It was a calculated torture; they promised him as much water as he wished, after he should have disclosed the names of the guilty, confessing things of which he had no knowledge.

Hunger strove in him against thirst, but fearing this latter most, he would throw this salted food into a corner as though it were poison.

He was delirious with the delirium of a shipwrecked man tormented with visions of fresh water in the midst of the salt waves.

In his nightmare he saw clear and murmuring brooks, great rivers; and seeking freshness for his mouth he would pass his tongue over the filthy walls, finding a certain alleviation in the lime of the whitewash.
The privations and the incarceration disturbed his mind with horrible ravings; often Gabriel was surprised at finding himself on all fours, growling and barking opposite the door without knowing how or why.
His tormentors seemed to forget him; they had other prisoners to look after.