hauts for any money,
except in daylight. It is a very different thing going downhill to
going up, and if we were to attempt it in the dark, we should break
our necks for a certainty. If we can get away early, tonight, we shall
be at the edge of that steep place by nine o'clock in the morning, and
if we strike the right point, we might be back to the Rajah by
nightfall."

"It will be difficult to find our way back in the dark," Surajah said.

"No doubt. Still, we can keep in the general direction, and even if we
do not hit upon the stream tonight, we shall find it in the morning."

It was late in the afternoon when they reached the village, and it was
now growing dark. Two soldiers came up to them, and bade them follow
them into one of the huts, and there pointed to the farther corner as
their place. They wrapped themselves in their blankets, and at once
lay down.

"If they take it into their heads," Dick whispered to Surajah, "to put
a sentry on guard at the door, it will upset all our plans. It would
not be very difficult to cut our way through the mud wall behind us,
but in the first place they have taken away our knives; and, even if
we had them, it would be risky work trying it.

"The chances are that they will sit and talk all night. Of course, we
might surprise the sentry, but it would be a great risk with those
fellows close at hand, and we should have to run straight for the
steps, and might get a dozen balls after us, before we were over the
wall."

"I don't think there would be much chance of their hitting us,"
Surajah said. "Jumping up from their sleep in confusion, they would be
a minute or so before they could find out what had happened, and we
should be at the foot of the steps before they saw us, and then they
would fire almost at random.

"But, in that case, we should lose our weapons," he added regretfully.

"We cannot help that. The arms are of no consequence at all, compared
to our getting away--unless, of course, any of them happen to overtake
us."

For three or four hours, the soldiers, of whom there were ten in the
hut, sat eating, talking, and smoking round the fire, which they kept
burning on the earthen floor. One by one, however, they left it and
lay down. When but three remained, one of them got up, with a grumble
of discontent, took his musket, which was leaning against the wall,
and went out of the hut.

"What a nuisance!" Dick whispered. "He is evidently going on sentry
duty."