wife ill?"

"No, no. Are you awake now?"

"Awake? Yes, of course; what is it?"

"We have a way open to escape. Wake your wife. Tell her not to speak."

"But she will. Oceans!" said the little man sadly.

"She must not speak. Wake her; tell her there is a way of escape, and
then you two must carry these parcels of food, and follow in silence."

"I say, Lawrence, old man, is it real?" he whispered.

"Quite! Quick! You are wasting time."

"But won't they shoot at us?"

"Not if you are both silent," whispered Lawrence; and creeping on
all-fours the little man reached over, awakened his wife, and
communicated the news.

To the surprise of all she woke up quite collected, grasped the idea at
once, and rose to her feet. Then putting on her head-dress, and
throwing a shawl over her shoulders and securing the ends--

"I am ready," she said.

"Bravo!" whispered the professor. "Now, silence, for we have to pass
the guards."

"But where are we going?" said Chumley.

"Chumley! Oh, that tongue!" whispered his wife.

"Silence!" said Yussuf decidedly; and then after a pause, "Ready?"

There was no reply, and taking this for consent, he bade the professor
come last, after holding the rugs aside till all had passed, and then he
stepped out, and stepped back again, for a piercingly cold breath of air
had darted into the prison.

"It is snowing," he said in a low whisper.

"Well?" said Mr Burne, "we are going down from the mountain, and we
shall leave it behind, shall we not?"

"Yes, perhaps," said the guide, in a doubting manner. "Shall we risk
it?"

"Yes, certainly," said Mr Preston. "We must go now."

"It is well," said Yussuf, and he stepped out, the others following in
his steps; but when it came to Lawrence's turn, to his intense surprise
he found that his feet sank deep in the softly gathering flakes. He
looked to his left as he kept on by the wall; but the guards were not
visible though their voices could be heard, and it was evident that they
had sheltered themselves among some stones where they were gossiping
together.

Not a sound was heard but the rush of wind as the little party crept
on--their footsteps were effectually muffled, and in a few minutes they
were beyond the hearing of the guards, even had they spoken; but they
had to keep close together, for the drifting snow was blinding, and hid
their footprints almost as soon as they were formed.

Away to their left lay the ruins wh