er, which was, of
course, what he desired. He took one last look round the tunnel, felt
in his pockets to make sure that he had transferred to them the golden
images and the document, as well as all his other belongings, and
marched boldly out of the cavern.

"_Clang! clang! clang! clang_!" At this moment there came rolling up
from the village the sound of the alarm-bell, cutting sharply into Jim's
meditations, and he knew in a moment what had occurred. A perverse fate
had prompted some prisoner to seize this precise moment in which to make
a dash for liberty, and the alarm was being given. For a few seconds
Jim hesitated, considering; then, with a hurried look round, he started
off down the hillside at full speed, leaping rocks, boulders, and
everything else that came in his way. The soldiers were already pouring
out of their barracks!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

ESCAPED!

This was indeed a sorry trick that fortune, that perverse jade, had
played him, meditated Jim. The chances were, too, that the fugitive
would take the same direction as Douglas himself, in which case they
would probably both be captured. This thought gave wings to the young
Englishman's feet, and he went bounding away down the hill like a
startled deer, thinking of nothing but getting to cover as quickly as
possible. But the unfortunate fact was that there was no place within
at least a mile where a man could be concealed, and Jim knew well that
long ere he could reach the strip of forest on which he was keeping his
eye, he would be in full view of the pursuers should they happen to come
that way, which was more than probable.

Stay, though; were both fugitives taking the same direction? There was
not so much clamour perceptible now, and Jim pulled up suddenly to
listen, at the same time looking back along the way by which he had
come. For a few seconds dead silence reigned, and Jim was beginning to
congratulate himself that the Chilian had taken another course, when
round the corner of the hill he saw a figure emerge, flying along at a
tremendous pace, and leaping every obstacle that came in its way; a
moment later he heard a renewed uproar of shouts and curses, and he
observed that the other fugitive was heading directly for him, doubtless
with the pursuers hard on his track.

Then, at this critical moment, an idea flashed through Jim's brain. He
did not believe that the fugitive had yet caught sight of him, while the
soldiers would