Charles Stevens, with chisel and hammer, quickly cut the chains of his mother and hastened to liberate Cora. Her father held the light, while he cut the iron band.
"Free! free!" cried the excited Charles. "Let us away before the town is roused!"
"No," answered Mr. George Waters; "not while a prisoner remains to suffer the wrath of prejudice."
Then with chisel and hammer he went from one to another and cut the iron bands which bound them.
Oracus and Henry Waters joined him in the work of liberation, until all were freed.
This required several moments of time, and the confusion and uproar which they were compelled to make was rousing the town.
Mr. Parris, half-dressed, ran barefoot through the town, waving his long arms in the air, and shouting that the fiends of the air had conspired to liberate the prisoners. His words and his wild, fanatical manner tended rather to increase the fear of the people of Salem, than diminish it. Then there went out the report through the village that the Indians had attacked the town, and the people, roused from their midnight slumbers, magnified the numbers of the assailants ten to one.
"Cora! Mother!" whispered Charles, "this way!"
He took a hand of each and started to run from the jail down the street.
"Fly! all of you! Fly for your lives!" cried Henry Waters, who, now that his work was done, flung aside his iron bar and sledge.
At a word of command from Oracus his warriors formed a hollow square about the escaping fugitives, and moved off as rapidly as they could.
Everybody was bewildered. Everybody running into the street was asking:
"What has happened? What has gone amiss?"
"They are rescuing the prisoners," shouted Mr. Parris, wildly. "Don't you see them hurrying away with them."
"Bestir yourself! Do you not see they are taking your prisoners away?"
"I have no deputies," answered the sheriff. "They number hundreds, and the Indians are with them."
"Nonsense! They are only disguised, and are not a dozen. Come! I will go with you."
Four or five by-standers, being thus emboldened, offered to go themselves and aid in recovering the prisoners.
"Come! I will lead you!" cried the eager preacher, allowing his zeal to overcome his discretion.
They ran after the escaping party, and Mr. Parris, either being more zealous than the others, or more swift of foot, outran them and, eluding some of the Indians, who tried to intercept him, ran to where Charles Stevens was half leading and half dragging his mother and Cora from the village.