"Perhaps he has gone to the gate?" Surajah suggested.

"I am afraid not. I expect the other hut is furnishing the sentry
there. Listen!"

During the pauses of the low conversation of the two men still sitting
by the fire, they could hear a footfall outside.

"That settles the question," Dick said. "Now, the sooner those fellows
go to sleep, the better."

"We had better wait for some time, after they do," Surajah replied.
"One or two of the men, who lay down first, are sure to get up and go
to the door and look out. They always do that, once or twice during
the night. The sentry will soon get accustomed to the door being
opened, and won't look round sharp."

"That is a good idea," Dick agreed. "The moon is at the back of the
hut, so we shall be in the shadow. I will spring upon him, and will
try and grip him by the throat, so that he can't holloa. You wrench
the musket from his hands, and snatch his belt of cartridges. That
will give us a weapon, anyhow. As soon as you have got it, I will give
him one sharp squeeze, and throw him down. It will be some time before
he gets breath enough to holloa."

In half an hour, the two men by the fire lay down. It was not long
before, as Surajah predicted, one of the sleepers sat up and stretched
himself; then he rose and walked to the door, opened it, and stood at
the entrance; a moment later he was joined by another figure, and for
a few minutes they stood, talking together. Then he came in again,
shut the door, and lay down.

During the next hour, three of the others followed his example, the
last of them leaving the door ajar behind him, when he came in.

"Now is our chance, Surajah. We must give him ten minutes to fall
asleep again. Then we will move. Should one of them be lying awake,
and notice us--which is not likely, for it is too dark in here to see
figures distinctly--and ask where we are going, say, 'To the door, to
get cool.' They won't imagine that we are thinking of escape, with one
sentry at the door, and another at the gate."

"Don't you think, Sahib, that it would be safer to kill the sentries?"

"Safer or not, Surajah, we will not do it. At present, they have done
us no harm. They are only acting as their officer ordered, and we have
no grudge against them. When they take to shooting at us, we must
shoot at them; but to kill this sentry would be nothing short of
murder."

After waiting a few minutes longer, Dick said:

"We had better be off, now.