However, each must do as much as he can in his three hours; and as we are working in the dark, we must work slowly and carefully, or we shall break our tools." "Fortunately, we can get more hoops off now if we want them," Matteo said.

"With these irons we can wrench them off the sound casks, if necessary." "Yes; I did not think of that, Matteo.

You see we are already getting a stock of tools.

Another thing is, with the point of the irons we have got off, we can wrench the wood out as fast as we saw it, and the saws will not work so stiffly as they did before.

But we must not do that till the morning, for any sound like the breaking of wood might be heard by the watch, when everything is quiet." Although all worked their best, they made but slight progress in the dark, and each worker was forced to take frequent rests, for the fatigue of working with their arms above their heads was excessive.