The Night of the Bottomless Pit - Recap

At the embarkation point for Devil’s Island, the guards bring a line of prisoners to the boat. They are processed and march onto the pier, and one man is suddenly grabbed from below and pulled into the water. When the guards pull him out, they are unaware that a switch has been made: the new prisoner is James West. As the boat rows away, Artie and the original prisoner, Andre Couteau, hide beneath the dock. Artie tells Couteau to keep quiet and that everything is going according to plan.



On Devil’s Island, Jim and the other prisoners are brought to the courtyard and witness the testing of the guillotine. In the warden’s home, his wife Camille looks outside and notices Jim. The guards confirm Jim’s “fake” ID as Couteau and note that he has a meeting scheduled with Commandant Gustave Mauvais. When Jim smarts off to them, they prepare to beat him until he claims he’s an undercover agent monitoring the guards’ efficiency. Camille closes her window and admires herself in the mirror, removing her lace collar to expose some décolletage while the local boutique owner, Mrs. Grimes, looks on disapprovingly after providing Camille with a new dress.

The head guard, Cochou, takes Jim to a chamber and has him put on a fresh uniform. He then takes him to Mauvais’ office, hidden behind a wall. Mauvais points out that Jim will be there for a long time and introduces himself. He explains that Couteau was convicted of a monstrous offense: publishing an expose on Devil’s Island and advocating for the Mauvais’ trial. When Jim reaches forward to read the report, Mauvais screams in terror and Cochou shoves Jim to the ground. Before Cochou can beat Jim, Camille and Mrs. Grimes enter, and Mauvais soon realizes that his wife is taken with Jim. She apologizes for interrupting and quickly leaves, and Mauvais has Cochou demonstrate that his right leg is artificial. The Commandant explains that Cochou lost his leg in a train accident and chose an iron limb. Mauvais tells Jim that one day he will tell Cochou to do the same thing to Jim that he did to the bench. However, until then, Jim will enjoy the island’s pleasant pursuits. The wood panel closes and Cochou has Jim put on his original dirty uniform.



Jim and the other prisoners are working in the field crushing rocks with a large roller. He asks after a prisoner named Vincent Reed but no one is willing to cooperate. The guards bring the water cart and the prisoners take a break. One of them gets in line for a second serving, shoving an older man, Lime. Jim knocks the offending prisoner down and he and the older prisoner take their water. He then asks Lime about Reed, and Lime remembers that Reed was taken to the pit and dropped out of sight two weeks ago.

Cochou notices them talking and shoves Lime to the ground in front of the roller. Mauvais, who has been watching the entire exchange, casually dismisses Lime’s impending death and ignores Jim’s plea for mercy. Jim runs up the hill and grabs Mauvais, and tells him to stop the roller. The Commandant tells Cochou to stop the roller, and the guard deflects it with one placed kick. Mauvais shoves Jim away and the guards easily subdue him, and he orders the guards to administer twenty lashes and then imprison Jim in the pit.



Once he is beaten, Jim is dropped into the pit with two other prisoners. One of them is Reed, and Jim explains that he’s been looking for him. Reed applies a mud poultice to Jim’s back, and Jim sings a song. Recognizing the identification phrase, Reed sings the rest and realizes who Jim really is. Jim thanks him for maintaining his cover throughout his arrest and trial, and Reed admits that he’s schedule for execution in just over 18 hours. The other prisoner, Le Fou, rants and raves like a monkey, and Reed explains that he’s gone insane due to extended captivity. Jim assures Reed that he’ll soon be escaping, and then starts singing again.

Artie arrives disguised as a French prison guard and is taken to Mauvais. According to his accompanying letter, he's been sentenced to Devil’s Island for poor behavior. Mauvais assures Artie that he should do fine there, but says that they’ll have to determine his suitability for guard duty. He has Cochou take Artie to the neighboring “Chamber of Togetherness.” The one man who emerges will receive the guard posting. Artie agrees and enters the room, and gasses the other two men unconscious with a trick cigar. He then makes more noise to make it convincing before emerging triumphant to accept a drink.



That night, Artie wanders out into the courtyard, singing the identifying song. He calls down to Jim and Reed, insulting them. Artie secretly tosses down a hard-boiled egg with a key inside. Jim climbs the sides of the pit and unlocks the cage door. However, the guards come up immediately and capture him. They take Jim through a secret panel and up a flight of stairs to Camille’s room. The warden’s wife is waiting for him in bed, and explains that she’s been trying to escape for years. Camille asks Jim to join forces with her so they can escape together, and warns him that too many have tried and failed. Mauvais comes in and admits that he’s hurt. The Commandant explains that Camille has tried to enlist prisoners to help her escape before, and he torments her by letting her try from time to time.



The guards fasten Jim down in the jungle along the path of a swarm of fire ants. Mauvais points out the nearby skeleton of one of Camille’s would-be rescuers and promises that Jim will have a memorable death, and then leaves him to his fate.

Artie leaves the island and goes ashore to meet with Mrs. Grimes, a boutique owner. He shows her a musical watch, the proper code sign, and she plays her own watch with the same tune. Mrs. Grimes tells him that the boat is ready, but receives word that Jim is in danger. As the sun comes up, Jim gets to the island and frees Jim just in choice. They go to the prison and Artie brings Jim in. They go to the pit and Artie opens the gate and orders Reed out. He claims that he’s taking him to see Mauvais, but Mauvais and his men come out and take them all prisoner. The Commandant steps forward and introduces one of his guards: Le Fou, who was in the pit undercover. Le Fou knows all about who they really are.



Mauvais seats himself in the courtyard and orders Cochou to kill Jim with his iron leg. The guards give them room and Cochou lashes out. After a brief fight, Jim knocks Cochou into a porch support, causing it to collapse on him. Artie and Reed knock out their guards, and Artie uses the grenade launcher in his cane to hold off the guards. They make a break for wall, but Camille spots them and directs them to the secret passage leading up to her room. The four fugitives go out her bedroom window and head for the cove and the waiting boat.

When they get to the cove, they find the boat waiting for them. However, Mauvais and Cochou have already found it and are waiting, having persuaded Mrs. Graves to talk. When the fugitives enter the boat, Mauvais steps out and prepares to shoot them. He inadvertently steps in some quicksand and sinks downward. Cochou ignores his pleas for help and goes after the fugitives, and Mauvais shoots him in the back. As the Commandant drowns in filth, a shark attacks Cochou as he wades out into the water. The fugitives row out into the ocean where they’re picked up by a passing ship.



Back in America, Jim and Artie are aboard the Wanderer when they receive a visitor: Camille. She asks for their congratulations on being engaged. They ask to meet the lucky fellow and she escorts in her new man. Hubert Crandee is an easygoing man who they notice looks a great deal like her former husband Gustave.



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