e. I have
not the most remote idea which way to turn, and the next thing will be
that we shall be found hopelessly bogged at daybreak, and become
prisoners, or--"

A shiver ran through me, for there was no need for him to finish his
sentence; but there was a feeling of reaction directly.

"Not so bad as that," I said. "We must find the place somehow. It
can't be so very far away."

_Cock-a-doodle-doo_!

The crowing was so close to us that I gave quite a jump, and then stood
fast, as from almost above our heads there was the rustle and beating of
wings and the querulous cry of a hen, as if fowls were fidgeting
somewhere upon a perch, no doubt disturbed by our being so near.

_Cock-a-doodle-doo_ came from a short distance off to our left, and
directly after, in response to the challenge, there came the beating of
wings from somewhere away in front, and another deeper-voiced crow came
through the denser darkness.

"Gil," whispered Brace--and I felt his hot breath in my ear--"we are
close up to the village."

We stood there with beating hearts, and a feeling of excitement that was
almost unbearable growing upon us as, after a little more rustling, the
fowls quieted down, and carefully feeling his way with his sword, Brace
took a few steps in the direction of the first crowing. Then his sword
tapped against wood, and there was a loud cackling from several fowls
above our head.

"Hist," I said.

"No danger," he said; "they will think it is a jackal disturbing the
birds."

As he spoke, he felt about with his sword, and whispered to me--

"We are in a rough kind of shed supported on bamboo poles. Come on."

He led the way again past the place that he had first touched with his
sword, and we could feel that we were passing over hard beaten ground.
Directly after, Brace touched another building, and went on, carefully
feeling about, while I fully expected from moment to moment that I
should hear a challenge followed by the flash of a piece and its loud
report.

"Cottage--door open--empty," whispered Brace; and he crept on
cautiously, to find another place directly, and so on, one after the
other, cottage after cottage, the beaten path telling us that we were in
a well-frequented place; but the silence was profound, and it soon
became evident that we were on the site of the village--if village it
was--that was quite deserted.

Brace stopped short, his sword having encountered what he found was a
tree trunk