mules trotted cheerily along the
road, and by the time that the plan of escape had been fully elucidated,
they had reached a point where they might with perfect safety branch off
and make their way to the southward. This they did at once, branching
square off to the westward in the first instance, until they were about
a mile distant from the road, and completely hidden by the bush from the
observation of any one upon it, and then turning in a southerly
direction. A dense belt of forest then lay before them, at a distance
of some six miles, with a lofty hill-top rising behind it, and toward
this latter object George now headed the mules as straight as the
scattered clumps of bush would permit.

The soil was very light and sandy, but it was covered with a thick
growth of grass, which prevented the mules' feet or the waggon-wheels
from sinking, so that the travelling was nearly, if not quite as rapid
as it had been along the road. A sharp lookout was maintained for signs
indicative of their approach to the neighbourhood of plantations, and
two or three bridle-paths, evidently leading to such, were crossed; but
at length they reached the welcome skirts of the forest without having
had the least cause to suppose that they had been observed.

In the meantime, however, a heavy bank of thundercloud had been observed
rapidly gathering on the southern horizon, and the runaways had scarcely
plunged a mile into the forest before the heavens were obscured, and it
at once became so pitch-dark that it was utterly impossible for them to
proceed. The mules were consequently pulled up, and the three
adventurers made what few preparations were possible for their
protection from the coming storm.

Soon the low threatening rumble of the thunder was heard, and then, as
it rapidly increased in volume of sound, bright flashes of light were
seen blazing out beyond the interweaving branches of the trees. The
storm, as in all tropical countries, quickly gathered force and
intensity, and very soon it was raging in all its fury above and around
them. The loud reverberating roll of the thunder was incessant, the
lightning flashed with ever-increasing rapidity, and at last the entire
atmosphere seemed to be in one continued tremulous glare of unearthly
light.

The mules started and quivered, as the lightning-flashes grew more rapid
and intense; and finally they became so terrified that George had as
much as he could do to restrain them fro