was pleased at
his ruse.

Bravely the boy faced his only avenue of escape. The journey through
the marshlands and over the mountains was considered impossible,
but Piang was not discouraged. Searching the surrounding jungle, he
made sure that he had not been discovered, and, turning his back on
his home as well as on his enemies, headed toward the distant peaks,
the Dos Hermanas.

"Halt!" The sentry on Post No. 4 wheeled and took aim. There was
another rustle in the bushes. "Halt!" came the second warning. Luckily
the man was an old soldier, whose nerves were well seasoned. There
would be only one more warning; the bullet would come then. Tensely
the sentry listened. In the jungle one does not wait long out of
curiosity. Just as he was about to utter his ultimatum and emphasize
it with lead, a slender form tottered through the bushes and fell to
the ground.

"Sure, an' he 's a-playin' dead. None of that game for yer Uncle
Dudley." The Irishman, coming to port arms, sang out:

"Corporal of the guard. Number Four!" Never taking his eyes off the
still form, he waited.

"What's up?" called the corporal, as he came running up the trail
with his squad.

"Suspicious greaser!" The sentry pointed at the prostrate
form. Cautiously they approached it. Too many times their humane
sympathy had been rewarded by treachery. The native did not stir. One
of the guard poked him with his foot. There was no resistance.

"Guess he's all in, all right," announced the corporal. "Heave him
up. Never mind the leeches; they won't hurt you." The boy was lifted
to the top of a woodpile. He bore the marks of the jungle. His hands
and feet were scratched and torn by thorns, some of which still showed
in the flesh. His ribs showed plainly through the tightly pulled skin,
and leeches clung to him, sucking the blood from his tired body. The
long hair had been jerked from its customary chignon, and was hanging
loose around his head. His thin arms hung listlessly at his side.

"Gosh, he needs a wash bad enough. Must have been starving, too." With
his bayonet the corporal removed the black hair from the face. Uttering
an exclamation, he bent over the boy.

"Well, I'll be dinged! This is the kid Lieutenant Lewis sent up to the
lake! How in tarnation did he get to us from this direction?" The men
silently exchanged glances, all remembering their fruitless attempts
to make a trail over the Dos Hermanas. Forcing water between the
parched lips,