e a dash of it, sir?"

"No, my lad; not till it is quite dark."

Tom May stared.

"According to what your messmates said, the enemy was in pretty strong
force. How many of them were there?"

"'Bout twenty, sir," said Lang.

"And all armed?"

"Yes, sir; they'd all got guns," said the other.

"Then they will be lying in wait for us," said Murray decisively. "I
only said that we shall be trying to run by them as soon as it is dark."

"Well, sir, but we could do it," said May warmly.

"Yes, we could run by them if I risked everything, my lad," said the
middy, "but I can't afford to lose a man. Besides, they will have been
making arrangements to receive us. There is that lugger we saw lying in
the mouth of the river; they have plenty of men, I am sure, and they may
have brought her up to block our way, for they are bound to try and
capture us if they can."

"Yes, sir; bound to take us if they can," assented the sailor.

"How long do you think it will be before it is dark?" asked Murray.

"Not half-an-hour, sir," was the reply.

"And how far are we above the landing-place?" said the middy, speaking
in a low tone now and turning to the first boat-keeper.

"Can't say, sir, for sartain," replied the man. "What do you say, Harry
Lang?"

The man shook his head.

"You see, sir, we put our backs into it when we started to row, and
pulled and pulled, thinking of nothing else but getting as far up'ards
as we could. Hour's hard rowing, I should say, in and out, and we got a
long ways before we come upon Bill Titely."

"Then we'll begin moving as soon as it is quite dark, my lads," said
Murray. "Till then, a careful watch and silence, for there is no
knowing whether the enemy may not have a way through the cane brake
which will enable them to come upon us by surprise."

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

A FIGHT IN THE DARK.

It was sooner than they expected that the darkness came on--thick,
black, dense darkness, which in spite of its gradual approach seemed
strange and full of suggestions of being peopled with enemies ready to
draw trigger on the banks and send lightning-like flashes at the
occupants of the boat--flashes each of which might be a messenger of
death.

The boat was set in motion and glided down stream slowly, with Murray in
the bows peering straight before him, trying to pierce the darkness; Tom
May right astern with one oar dipped, with which he kept the boat level;
while the others sat with oar