1 Edward Coke used to be an army officer, but he is in prison now. Every day is exactly the
same for him.
It is winter now and Coke and all the other men get up at six, when it is still cold and dark.
They have breakfast at six thirty. Work begins at seven thirty. Some of the men work in the
prison factory, where they make mail-bags, but Coke often works in the fields outside.
2 The men have lunch at twelve. Lunch lasts an hour and then the men go back to work again.
Coke usually goes to the prison library after dinner and reads until 9.30. The lights go out at
ten.
The day is long, hard, and boring and every man has a lot of time to think. They usually think
about why they are there. Coke does. He always thinks about two men.
3 One of the men is called Eric Masters. He used to be an army officer just like Coke. Coke
knows that Masters has a lot of money now. The second man’s name is Hugo. That is all
Coke knows about him. Masters knows where and why Hugo is, but Coke doesn’t.
Every night Coke lies in bed and thinks about Eric Masters and Hugo. There is another thing
he thinks about, too. Escaping. He wants to escape and find Masters, and the other man. Coke
is in prison for something he didn’t do.