and by Micco's own
orders, a passage beneath one of its walls, by which they might at any
time obtain access to the fort or escape from it, as they might desire.
It was by this means that the Sunbeam left the fort when thy people
would have held him prisoner within it. It was easy to force a form as
slight as mine between the bars of the guard-house window, and once
past them I was as free as at this moment."

Rene was greatly surprised at this disclosure of the weakness of the
fort, and not a little troubled to learn of it. He asked Has-se if the
existence of the passage were known to all of his people.

"No," said Has-se; "to not more than a score of them is the secret
known, and they are bound to preserve it as they would their lives.
Thou art the first besides them to whom it has been disclosed."

"Well," said Rene, "so long as the passage thou namest exists, we may
as well make a use of it. Do thou show it to me, and I will enter the
fort by means of it. Then will I seek my uncle and inform him of what
has taken place. Thou and the rest shall wait at the water gate, and
there deliver the provisions and receive the reward. After that thou
and they are free to return to the land of the Alachuas; but, oh,
Has-se!" he added, with a burst of sincere affection, "it grieves me
sorely to part from thee, for thou art become to me dearer than a
brother!"

Then the two returned to Yah-chi-la-ne, who had been somewhat troubled
and aggrieved by their long whisperings, which he was not invited to
join. He was much relieved when Has-se told him that Rene had
discovered a safe way of communicating with his people, and readily
gave his permission for the two to depart together in a canoe,
promising at the same time to await patiently Has-se's return.

With the utmost caution the two boys approached the fort at a point
where its walls extended close to the river's edge. Here, beneath a
tangle of wild-grape vines, Has'se removed a great piece of bark that
closely resembled the surrounding soil, and disclosing an opening so
narrow that but one man at a time might pass it. Leading the way into
the passage, that extended underground directly back from the river, he
was closely followed by Rene, and the two groped their way slowly
through the intense blackness. It seemed to the white lad that they
must have gone a mile before they came to the end, though in reality it
was but about a hundred yards.

At length Has-se stop