r
endure the four more slow years of it which I confidently expected to
ensue? What would I not give to leave it all and return!

I had retraced my steps, leapt the wall again, and as I approached our
house was surprised to see, in the dim light of the coming morning, a
figure standing guard at the doorway. He was a soldier, and on closer
approach I saw that he wore a beard, which showed him to be a captain.
But what surprised me far more was that he held awkwardly in his arms
one of our loaded rifles. Here was certain treachery. Since he stood
guard, he doubtless had soldiers within; and if they had found one
firearm they must have found the others also. But how had they succeeded
in finding them? A mere search never would have revealed their secret
place. Some one who knew of their location must have disclosed it. Could
it have been the doctor? Had they brought him back, and forced him to
produce the arms?

In that case, now was my chance to liberate him. Fortunately they did
not know how to use the arms they had captured, and I had one revolver
with five good loads in it. With five telling shots I ought to be able
to create panic enough to enable the doctor to get possession of another
gun and help me rout them.

All this flashed through my mind in a twinkling, and just as I drew out
my revolver the captain caught sight of me. He quickly shifted the rifle
in his hands and tugged at the hammer. He knew nothing of the necessity
of taking aim, or of the use of the trigger. It would only be by the
merest chance if he hit me. I had half drawn the trigger, and was just
correcting my aim, when a long flash of flame from the rifle startled
me, and unconsciously I fired wild. By lifting the hammer of the rifle
and letting it snap back, the captain had exploded one cartridge at
random. But my careful aiming had now taught him a trick; I saw him
attempting the same arm's-length aim with the rifle. He did it awkwardly
enough, and pulled up the hammer with the other hand. It fell with a
snap on the discharged cartridge. He could be relied on never to learn
the trick of ejecting them and reloading with the sixteen that lay ready
up the length of the barrel. Therefore, instead of firing again, I
rushed at him to capture the rifle. But he was too quick for me, for
thrusting it inside the house with a quick command, the other was handed
out to him. I was now at such extremely close range that his awkward aim
covered me; but I was