Page:The Immortal Six Hundred.djvu/228

   fort before we moved. Capt. Ed Chambers, of Alabama, one of our number, had some experience in building forts. After pledging him to secrecy, we unfolded to him our find, and the first reply he made to our inquiry threw upon us hogsheads of cold water. "Why, boys, he said, "this fort's foundation is no doubt a lot of large blocks of granite which you could not cut through in forty years if you had all the improved tools necessary for the purpose. And yet, it may be," he added, "the foundation is built of hard brick, set in cement. The door under your bunk goes down into an air chamber built for the purpose of keeping these casemate floors dry. One chamber does not connect with the other by any opening. These chambers are fifteen or twenty feet square and are built all under this fort. If you boys go down you will find yourselves in ten feet of water and mud that has oozed in from the moat; so take my advice and give up the project. It will not work." When we finished this