orpoise, but vowing he could carry Larry a mile were
it necessary. Boxer kept as far to the rear as he dared without
missing their trail, and the life of any Filipino who might have
appeared would not have been worth a moment's purchase at the scout's
hands.

They had covered but a few hundred yards when the shouting and firing
at the encampment ceased. "I guess the snake is dead," said Ben. "Now
they'll be after us."

The young captain was right; and soon they heard the enemy breaking
through the jungle in detachments of three or four men each, all
hot-footed to recapture the prisoner. They had observed the cut ropes
and wondered if it was possible that Larry had severed them without
assistance.

It was not long before Boxer got a good shot at the nearest of the
pursuers. His aim was true, and the Tagal went down without so
much as a groan. His companions stopped short, and then called
some other soldiers to the scene. "The boy is armed and shoots like
a sharpshooter," they told each other; and after that the search was
continued with extra care. Of course Boxer kept out of sight; and as
soon as he could, he joined Ben and the others.

"I think there must be a stream close at hand,--the one we crossed a
few days ago," said he. "If we can get to that, we'll have some chance
to hide."

"Let's get to it, then," gasped Luke, who felt that he could keep up
but a short while longer.

"I'll take Larry, Luke," put in Ben, and the transfer was made, in
spite of the old sailor's protests. Then Luke plunged ahead and soon
announced that he could see the river through the bushes to the right.
Soon they came out on some rocks. The stream was a mountain torrent, a
rod wide and from two to three feet deep. They plunged in without
delay.

As they could not walk against such a current, they followed the
stream on its downward course almost to the edge of the cliff, where
the torrent formed a pretty series of waterfalls. Then they crossed to
the other side, and climbed into a tree growing directly at the
water's edge,--a species of willow, with long, drooping branches.

"We ought to be safe here--at least for a while," said Boxer.

"It's hard to tell where one would be safe here," answered Ben. "The
whole country seems to be invested with scattered bands of the
insurgents."

He asked Larry about himself, and in a few words the younger brother
told his story. Then Boxer stopped the talk.

"In a situation like this, it's b